Misery Loves Company
by maternalluv20
Summary: A story where Elena is in need of care and attention during Stefan's ripper phase (she gets sick, breaks her leg, etc.). Her stubborn and feisty nature makes it difficult for her to rest when she needs it most, or willingly accept help from others. So who are her friends gonna call? DAMON! WARNING: Rated M because of spanking in later chapters. MORE SUMMARY INSIDE!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note- **

**Hello my dears! I am so so so so so so so sorry that it's been such a long time since I've written anything. I also know that many of you have messaged me or reviewed me with some questions, and I apologize for not getting back to you. I have officially graduated college, and due to the fact that I broke my leg in early August, I am currently cooped up with nothing to do but let my creative mind go to work. As a result, I've had plenty of time to become inspired again, do more writing, and update some of my works. I'm going to try my best to remain consistent with this story, as well as any others that I write afterwards.**

**This story below is inspired by all the moments I've wanted my own, personal Damon to come and take care of me while I've been bed ridden, and during the times I've been sick since the accident. It's taking me a LONG time to heal, unfortunately, and while I'll spare you the details, I will say that I've gone back and forth between depression and contentment over not being able to walk or move as freely as I used to. Writing stories like these bring me absolute solace and comfort.**

**The setting of my story takes place around the 3rd season of VD, and is not based on any particular episode. This will probably be one of my longer ones, and I will gladly accept any help or advice my lovely readers can give me in order to keep this story flowing. **

**WARNING: There will be some spanking in later chapters of a teenager, so if this is not your thing or you don't agree with it, then PLEASE DO NOT READ IT! I seriously cannot stress that enough; I will accept constructive criticism, but flames are unnecessary, rude, and all together unkind. Please, if you don't like my story, all you have to do is leave. If you decide to leave a flame despite these warnings, they will merely be ignored and laughed at; so please don't waste your time. **

**This story will also contain quite a bit of fluff in it, as I just can't resist showing Damon's sweet side. As much as I love his dominant side, I also like to remind others of his teddy bear heart lol. Over all, there should be a pretty good balance of everything. I really hope you guys like what I have so far! Please feel free to message me if you have any ideas to contribute to this story; I will gladly listen to all suggestions and will make sure you're recognized for helping me :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own this tv show or any of the characters within it.**

**Misery Loves Company**

Elena woke up feeling cold…not the kind one feels when they step outside on a crisp, wintery day, but the kind that produces uncomfortable, feverish chills within the body. "Noooo please not today." She moaned while forcing herself to sit up in bed, hoping that maybe some movement would warm up her body.

She felt heavy, and everything seemed to be spinning as she tried to focus on an object on her vanity, hoping it would calm her dizzy vision. "Wonderful…wonderful that's just-!" she let the frustrated removal of her covers be the exclamation that finished her sentence as she got out of bed.

The dizziness and pressure in her head hit her even harder as she stood up. "Dammit! Nope! Listen body, I refuse to be sick, I just can't! I have a test today, and I studied REALLY hard for it last night!" She exclaimed out loud to herself, almost chuckling at the fact that she was scolding her body.

Jeremy laughed from the other side of the door as he gave it a knock. "Elena, you alright in there? Can I come in?"

"Sure Jer bear!"

Her brother's smiling face greeted her as the door opened, but disappeared when he took in the sight of his sister.

"Elena, what the-?! You're pale as a ghost!" He rushed over to her side with worry and proceeded to examine her. She was too weak to protest as his hand rested upon her forehead. "Good grief Elena you're burning up! I don't even have to use the thermometer to know that; you're hot to the touch!"

Elena's eyes widened in mock disgust at his words, "Eww Jer, I didn't know you swung that way! Incest is definitely not best."

Jeremy rolled his eyes while smirking despite the situation. "Seriously Elena?! You know I'm not going to be able to get that horrible picture out of my head now right?"

"Oh please, see that was neither a yes or no. I'm starting to worry about you Jer, maybe we should tell Alaric and get you some help."

Jeremy quickly took his hands away from his sister, slightly glaring at her teasing tone. "Remember who you're talking to sis; I'm am artist, I draw pictures, I'm extremely visual. You can't tease me about stuff like that and expect me not to see it in my head. Plus I know you're trying to distract me from the obvious fact that you are DEFINITELY not well enough to go to school today. So stop trying to change the subject-"

Elena huffed while pushing passed him. "Jeremy quit fussing over me, I'm fine. I have a test today and I am NOT going to miss it because of a stupid little fever. It'll probably be gone by the time I get dressed, you'll see."

Jeremy sighed at his sister's willfulness as she walked into the bathroom.

"Fine," he said while following her, "be stubborn and just make it worse. Can you at least promise me that if you feel any worse while you're at school, you'll come home early?"

Elena smiled at Jeremy through the mirror, touched at his concern for her. "Yes Jer, I promise. I'll be fine, don't worry."

Her brother returned her smile with his own concerned one. "Okay, meet you at the car."

Jeremy knew that there was nothing he could say to convince Elena to stay; his sister wasn't one who really like to be fussed over, as she preferred to be the one to took care of others when they weren't feeling their best or having a good day.

As he walked into the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast, Jeremy tried to contemplate other ways to persuade his sister to stay home and rest.

He would've pursued the matter further, but he already knew that arguing with her accomplished nothing. Well, most of the time it didn't...every now and then, there were extremely rare situations when Jeremy was able to expel an unusual amount of motivational authority, and make Elena relent to his worried commands. Those were usually reserved for emergency situations, and Jeremy just wasn't able to muster that kind energy at the moment. He figured if nothing else worked, she might just have to learn the hard way by letting herself be miserable in school.

However, he wasn't willing to give up so easily...he knew Elena had been going through a lot lately, especially since their aunt's tragic death and Stefan being forced to go with Klaus. Jeremy could only imagine the kind of stress Elena was going through: handling school work, having to be constantly protected from other vampires who wanted her killed, worrying about and missing Stefan, trying to still have a social life and smile through the emotional pain when with friends, etc.

_Man, no wonder she's not feeling well! All that mental trauma can't be good for the body; I'm surprised she didn't get sick even sooner._ Jeremy mused while munching on a blueberry bagel.

He already knew that Stefan wouldn't be able to make his sister stay home, since he was obviously gone and no one really knew where he was. _Nope; out of the question. Stefan probably wouldn't even answer the phone. Even if he was still here, Elena didn't always listen to him before._

Jeremy thought of seeking the help of Bonnie or Caroline; he knew they were like sisters to Elena and would definitely worry about her being sick, but even they'd never be able to force her to stay home. _Not unless I could convince Bonnie to put some kind of binding spell on her;_ He laughed at the thought, knowing she'd never agree to use her dark powers for something so simple as a fever.

Jeremy was beginning to feel frustrated as he went through the list of people that could help his sister. He knew Alaric was already at the school preparing to teach, so it would be no use to call him and have him play "dad" to Elena. Even though the man had become like one to the siblings, and they respected him very much, they all knew it would take some more time before their guardian felt comfortable enough to really exercise firm authority over either of them.

Not that they had ever given him a reason to before; both Jeremy and Elena tried to make things really easy for Alaric. Even when he did ask them to do something or was worried about them, they usually had no problem obeying, or were able to come to some kind of agreement that would make everyone happy and decrease the chances for any unnecessary drama.

Alas, Jeremy knew that Alaric still had yet to really encounter the intense stubbornness of his sister. No...no Alaric was definitely not going to do it; he'd have to be a last resort.

_Speaking of last resorts.._.the teen growled to himself as Damon suddenly popped into his head. Even if he wasn't crazy about the guy, he begrudgingly had to admit that the smarmy vampire was the only one who had ever been able to really keep Elena from danger, even when she tried to fight him to get her way.

Jeremy remembered the time Damon had stormed in with Elena and seemed really put off with her about something. He never found out what it was, nor did he remember what had happened afterwards. He did remember that Elena didn't want to talk about it though, and that her eyes had looked red as if she'd been crying after she and Damon both woke up from their unintentional power nap later that same night.

It was after seeing them that he remembered Stefan was still trapped in the tomb with Katherine, the "Queen of the Damned," and the three of them had immediately rushed to his aid.

While he didn't go into the tomb with them, Jeremy distinctly remembered hearing Damon stop Elena from trying to go after Stefan. He remembered hearing her struggle and yell at Damon to let her go, begging him to let her get to Stefan. A second later, she had stormed out of the tomb with a pout on her pretty face and tears glistening in her eyes.

Yes, he had to admit that Damon was the only one who could stand in his sister's way. Even if the vampire was kinda full of himself, his boldness and fearlessness enabled him to protect Elena without caring how much she hated him for it.

Jeremy groaned as he realized there was no other option that would really benefit his sister's well being. Taking out his cell, he found Damon's contact under the term of endearment "Douche Bag," and pushed the "call" button.

"No, Jeremy I am not going to compel Bonnie to have sex with you, so don't even bother9 to ask. Have you considered looking up some of the potions they used in Harry Potter? Maybe Snape could give you the instructions to create a 'love potion;' then you could slip it into her tea, and the witch would be obsessed with her infatuated muggle and do whatever you like huh?"

Jeremy couldn't stop the "WTF" look that spread across his features at Damon's bizarre way of answering the phone. He might've even laughed if he had actually liked the guy, but he didn't want give him the satisfaction.

"First of all Damon: you're a friggin nerd. Second: shut up about Bonnie and don't talk about her that way! Third: what in the hell kind of a greeting was that dude?!" Jeremy exclaimed into the receiver, unable to disguise the morbid curiosity in his voice.

"Dude? Really? Dude?" Came Damon's snarky reply. "Seriously though little Gilbert, you'd better have a good reason for disturbing my sleep this early in the morning. I have half a mind to kill you again; I was having such a lovely dream."

"That's a touching story, really, not my problem your highness. I actually do have a good reason for calling, so shut up and listen. It's about Elena."

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Nearly an hour later, Jeremy and Elena were in the car and on their way to school.

The shivering girl sipped some hot tea from her mug, as Jeremy drove on in perplexed silence.

He was trying hard not to feel angry towards his older sister. After he had gotten off the phone with Damon, Elena had come staggering down the stairs, wearing a black trench coat and red boots.

It was plain that the poor girl was having trouble with balancing herself as she walked, and had Jeremy not been at the foot of the stairs, she would have hurt herself when she finally collapsed from the overwhelming dizzy spell she was experiencing.

Jeremy had caught her with little effort, and proceeded to scold her about not listening to his suggestion of staying home and resting.

Elena had merely ignored him and asked where the car keys were.

"Oh right Elena, like I'm really going to let you drive in your state?! You're lucky I'm letting you go to school at all after that lovely little stunt on the stairs! I'm driving; don't argue please, just get in the car before I change my mind."

Elena had scoffed indignantly at her brother's response, before grabbing the mug of tea he had offered her and walking into the crisp autumn air.

_Stupid girl! Can't she see she's not well?!_ Jeremy thought as he continued to drive.

He was grateful he had made the call to Damon earlier that morning. He felt reassured that it was in his sister's best interest, and was hoping she wouldn't hate him for the results that were about to occur.

The school finally came into view, and Jeremy quickly put the car into park.

Neither said anything, as they proceeded to get out of the car and walk towards the school.

"And just where do you think you're going Elena Gilbert?"

Elena whirled around at the familiar voice, and found Damon leaning against her car with his arms crossed and a stern expression on his handsome face. She looked at him with confusion and annoyance; "Well, obviously I'm going to school Damon, what else would I be doing?"

"Staying at home, taking medicine, lying in bed and recovering from the fever you so obviously have."

Jeremy tried not to look guilty as his sister slowly turned and pointed an accusatory glare in his direction. "You called HIM?!"

"I had to Elena, you wouldn't listen to me and you're obviously not feeling well enough to be at school today."

"I have a damn test in History class today Jeremy!" She shrieked while slapping her brother on the shoulder. "I studied hard for that test and I sure as hell am not going to miss it because of a stupid fever!"

"Think again sweetheart." Damon's voice said in her ear.

Elena nearly shrieked as the older Salvator brother was suddenly by her side; she fumed and tried to push his hand away as he lifted it to feel her forehead.

"Stop that." Damon admonished while lightly slapping her hands away and resuming his inspection. He frowned as he felt the heat of her skin penetrate his own. "Of all the idiotic-Elena, seriously?!" He scolded as his hands came to rest on her warm cheeks. "Even without feeling your temperature, I can tell just by looking at you that you're not feeling well! You have dark circles under your eyes, you're shivering uncontrollably, you're a sickly pale, your cheeks are flushed; not only that, but you're standing outside in the middle of the chilly autumn weather, completely exposed to the even colder wind while feeling like this?! I don't think so Elena; there's NO way you're going to school today!"

"Oh?! And I suppose you're going to try and stop me huh? I will NOT going home Damon! I. Will. Not!" Elena stated while stomping her foot like a petulant child.

Jeremy chuckled at his sister's childish response, he could already see that her resolve was melting in Damon's presence, and he instantly felt better.

"Well, I can see you're in good hands Elena. Don't worry, I'll tell Alaric and make sure to bring you home any homework. Thanks for this Damon." Jeremy acknowledged while nodding his head towards the vampire and walking away.

"No prob Jeremy; I'll make sure she gets home and straight to bed." Damon assured, while wrapping his arm around Elena's waist.

"Let me go Damon! You can't do this! I'm perfectly fine I swear!" Elena protested while shoving out of his grasp.

Damon smirked as she folded her arms angrily. "Why are you being so difficult about this Elena? It's not like we're asking you to do something impossible here, we just want you to go home and rest; you NEED it! I'm sure Alaric will understand; I mean he's your teacher and guardian, and this sort of thing happens all the time. You don't want to get worse and then have to be stuck in bed longer now do you?"

Elena merely shook her head, before walking closer to Damon and getting in his face, "I appreciate your concern, but you cannot make me go home! I want to be here; I NEED to be here okay? I don't care if you don't approve Damon; if it were Caroline or Bonnie who were sick, you wouldn't even blink. So please, stop wasting both of our time and just saunter back to the direction in which you came."

She tried to ignore the iciness that grew in Damon's piercing blue eyes at her defiant answer, and attempted to turn and walk away. "Woooh! Someone's in a feisty mood today!" He called after the incensed girl.

Elena tried to push his voice out of her ears as she continued to storm off. For a split second, she thought she had won the argument and felt victorious! Damon hadn't come after her yet…hopefully he would just let her be.

But then, her triumph was interrupted by the sudden overwhelming spinning sensation, and she couldn't stop herself from wilting to the ground.

Strong hands immediately scooped her up before she hit the cold earth, and being too weak to fight back, Elena merely rested her head against Damon's chest as he carried her back to the car.

"Uh huh, I can see that you're perfectly fine Elena, you stubborn, defiant little thing you." Damon murmured gently as she curled up in his arms.

Elena felt herself being put in the seat and strapped in, and her eyes began to close as Damon got in the driver's seat and turned on the ignition. 

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Elena jerked awake when the car stopped and saw that they were back at her house. She glared at Damon as he opened the door and waited for her to get out. "Take me back Damon, I feel rested now. We can probably make it back in time for the test if we leave now."

Damon rolled his eyes at her words. "You don't know when to quit, do you? Come on Elena, I'm not taking you back. Now are you going to get out of the car? Or am I going to have to make you?"

Elena grumbled before furiously unbuckling her seatbelt and jumping out the door. She hastily pushed past Damon and didn't allow him to assist her as she unlocked the main door and went inside; it must have been her time of month on top of feeling sick, for she found herself surging with rage and slamming the door in Damon's face right as he was about to walk in.

Elena plopped herself on the couch and crossed her arms as she heard the door open with surprising gentility. "I'm going to let that slide since you're not feeling well Elena." Damon said calmly as he came to stand in front of the livid girl. "Now then, stop with the adorable pout, and go upstairs and get into bed. I'll make you some delicious soup, and bring up some hot tea with honey and lemon. It'll help you feel better luv."

"No."

Damon's eyebrows lifted in surprise at her response. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said NO Damon!"

The vampire shook his head before sitting next to the sick girl. She tried to scoot over as he sat down, but he merely took her cold hands in his own. "Elena, I am really trying to be gentle and patient here with you, alright? I understand you don't want to be here; I understand that you prepared yourself very diligently for that history test, I get it. But you seriously need to be reasonable right now okay? You. are. sick; you are not feeling well, and you are not going to get any better by trying to make it through the day at school while you're like this. You need to rest Elena; you're acting ridiculously stubborn for something so trivial as staying home and getting better. Heck, I'm surprised you're not basking in the fact that you get to sleep the day away and relax. All I'm trying to do is help you, and Jeremy was the one who called me to tell you about your situation. You both have been through a lot Elena; but you're having to deal with the brunt of it, because you're trying to act like everyone's mom. Trust me, you need this and your body is begging you to just power down. So stop treating me as if I'm trying to do something horrible Elena…I'm here now, and I am going to take care of you until you get better, end of story."

Elena shifted uncomfortably at the truth of Damon's words, annoyed that he was the one in the right. "Fine…do what you have to then. But don't expect me to be easy about it!"

The famous smirk appeared on Damon's face as he chuckled quietly. "Why do you think they asked me to be the one to watch after you? Now, go upstairs please Elena, I'll be up in a bit."

The brunette wasn't willing to obey just yet, despite how horrible she felt. She hated the fact that Damon was one of the few, if not ONLY people-scratch that-vampires who wouldn't give in to her demands, even if they seemed to be ones that could result in a good benefit. Oh no…there was no arguing with this one.

Damon's eyes turned to ice as Elena shook her head at him with a look of obvious glee-filled defiance; she was testing him.

"Maybe I'm not making myself clear Elena Gilbert." He growled while seizing her arm, and carefully hoisting her up on her feet. "Hey! Get off me Damon, stop!"

Her protest was ignored as she was firmly marched to the stairs. "Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time you told me no?" He spoke lowly in Elena's ear, watching with satisfaction as her face turned even paler at the reminder of the time when Damon had spanked her for attempting to give herself over to Klaus. "You're ill Elena, I really don't want to have to be stern with you today. But I will if you continue to make this far more difficult than it needs to be, do you understand?"

"Perfectly." Elena hissed before jerking her arm out of his grasp and shoving him into the wall as she prepared to walk up the stairs. She yelped when she felt Damon grab her arm and apply a warning swat to her behind. "Remember Elena, I swore I would look out for you like an older brother or guardian, as long as your love remained loyal to my brother. Even though he's not here right now, that promise still remains and my duty is to keep you safe. Do NOT test me."

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed, Elena sniffled back the tears that were fighting to well in her eyes as she rubbed away the sting and turned to face the vampire. _Damn time of the month! Making me overly emotional! _"Safe from what?! From being sick?! Damon-!" Her breath hitched as her voice began to waver at the choked up sensation that was clogging her throat.

Damon could tell that her being sick was making her more sensitive than usual, and allowed his resolve to soften. "C'mere," he soothed before picking her up and carrying her up the stairs. Elena was exhausted, and succumbed to his comforting actions, biting her lip as she buried her face in Damon's shoulder. "No, darlin. I meant protect you from being vulnerable to the rest of the vampires that want to kill you. When your body is in a state like this, you're not only physically more weak and exhausted, but your emotions are heightened ten times their normal levels. So how can you be expected to defend yourself at all or be on your guard, when there are others still out there, prowling around, looking for you and wanting you dead? Hmmm?"

"I just…I don't like feeling weak and useless Damon. If I can do anything to help find Stefan, bring him hime safe and sound, and find a way to get those other vampires off our trail, I want to be involved. I mean is that really such a bad thing?"

Damon shook his head as they entered Elena's bedroom. "There is nothing wrong with you wanting to help Elena, that is definitely understandable."

"Then why won't you let me?" Elena asked as Damon tucked her into bed, making sure the quivering girl was nice and warm. He paused for a moment to contemplate his response, before sitting next to Elena with a sigh.

"Look, I know it's probably frustrating from your standpoint, but try to see it from mine. I honestly don't want you to think I'm trying to keep you from making choices of your own, because I do believe in the right of independence. Yes, I can tell you're trying not to laugh at how hypocritical that sounds coming from me, but let me elaborate. There have been times where Stefan and I have gone with some of your plans and they worked out nicely, I'll give you that. But that was because we planned them together and were in agreement, and knew how to keep you safe in the midst of some of those dangerous situations. However, there have also been too many times where we've allowed you to do what you wanted, and it has nearly gotten you killed. Either that, or you snuck away from our protection when we least expected it, and tried to take matters into your own hands. Did any of those situations truly work out well for you? Because it seems to me that we always came to your rescue right in the nick of time."

Elena felt her cheeks grow red as she tried to avoid Damon's rather paternal sounding lecture. "Didn't we already discuss this before Damon?" She grumbled, embarrassed at how childish she was feeling under his gaze.

He gently took her chin and tilted it so that her eyes were pinned on his. Elena was surprised to see a wry smirk across his face; "Yes, we did discuss this before. But you seem to have already forgotten about said discussion, otherwise you wouldn't have asked me that same question. Did it help you to remember better in that other…circumstance? I mean because we can totally re-stage that situation-"

"Alright, alright I get it! Geez Damon!" Elena protested, her eyes wide at that reference, before lightly hitting the chuckling vampire. She pinched the bridge of her nose while laying back in the bed tiredly.

"My point, Elena, is that you are a kind and caring girl who is wiling to make sacrifices for others. Well you're not the only one; Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Tyler, Stefan, Jeremy, Alaric, me; we're all willing to do the same for you. Yes, while like Matt and Jeremy, you do not have any supernatural powers in your favor, the difference from all of us together is that you are the most wanted person by the vampires in the world right now. Being human makes you even more exposed to danger; do you really think we're just going to hand you over so easily? Nuh-uh, nope, no way, forget it, wrong answer, never gonna happen, THAT'S a laugh!"

Elena rolled her eyes at the purposefully dramatic inflection Damon kept using when stating each word in that last sentence. Truth be told, she snorted with laughter when he decided to punctuate his sentence with an unexpected, drawn out impersonation of a time buzzer that sounds during a sports game. Why was it that he could so easily integrate humor within a serious conversation?

"Ah, finally, there's that beautiful smile I've been waiting to see." Damon crooned while beaming in return at her mirthful giggle. Elena tried to hide her face behind her pillow, but the shaking of her shoulders still gave her away. "Alright, fine Damon, you win. I won't try to go on a crazy goose chase on my own." She said in surrender once the laughter had stopped.

"And?" Damon prompted, his eyebrows raising expectantly.

"And…I won't especially do that while I'm sick."

"ANNNND?"

She threw her hands up in frustration "I don't know, what else is there Damon?"

"And you'll rest and let me take care of you so that you can heal quickly and painlessly." He added.

Elena couldn't help but pin Damon with a begrudging expression of adoration at his words. "Yessss…that too."

"That's my girl." He replied with satisfaction while stroking her soft hair in a comforting gesture.

That sweet moment was interrupted when Elena began to cough violently, and fell back against her pillow thanks to another wave of vertigo that literally rocked her world.

Concerned, Damon brushed his hand against her forehead, holding it there until the fit stopped.

"You feel even warmer to me Elena; stay here and rest okay? I'm going to make you some delicious warm soup and bring you other medicine you might need as well."

Elena nodded her head in gratitude. "Well, thank you Doctor Damon." She replied weakly with a wink in his direction.

"Hey, no flirting from the sick patient. It's not professional." He replied with a playful wag of his finger as he walked out of the bedroom.

Elena smiled softly at his retreating form, before closing her eyes and shifting to find a more comfortable position. Her head was pounding, her throat felt sore, her chest hurt from the rough coughing, she felt weak, she was uncomfortably cold, even with the covers over her, and she still felt as if she were spinning, despite the fact that her eyes were closed.

Everything hurt or ached…and yet, even though she was wishing it was Stefan who was taking care of her, she was extremely…happy…and grateful to have Damon looking after her. Even if he had given her a swat earlier for being a bit of a brat. She rubbed the spot where his palm had struck, and admitted to herself that even though it had hurt, it was still a strangely comforting reminder that he loved her, and would always be there to take care of her whether she liked it or not.

Elena felt her eyes growing heavier as she waited for Damon to bring up her soup. She was looking forward to having that warm liquid soothe her throat and appease her chills. The sickly girl began to doze as she listened to the rhythm of her clock ticking…for some reason, it was too quiet in that room.

She reached over to her little stereo and turned it on, pushing play on her iPod. The serene voices of the "Civil Wars" began to play, causing a contented sigh to escape her lips. Elena had created a special playlist called "Comfort," for the times when she was down or having an emotional day, and that particular band took up the majority of her playlist, among the other random songs she had on there. It proved to be effective though, as the girl instantly felt the lyrics embracing her fragile form. She knew the song that was playing at the moment was technically a combination of Taylor Swift and the "Civil Wars," but she still absolutely loved the melody, harmonization of their voices, and meaning of the words.

_"Just close your eyes, _

_the sun is going down;_

_You'll be alright,_

_No one can hurt you now;_

_Come morning light,_

_You and I'll be safe and sound."_

Elena snuggled under the covers and hugged a pillow close to her chest, wishing that Stefan were there to hold her. She missed him so much and hated that he was having to make such sacrifices in order to keep her safe.

_Damon's here though; he can always comfort you too. Look at all he's doing for you now; _her conscience reminded her. It was true, the older Salvatore brother was a pro at being a kind caretaker when he wanted to be. Elena's fondness for Damon had continued to grow ever since the incident at Slater's house, and the events which took place afterwards. However, she was afraid that without Stefan being there, her heart was beginning to melt even more for his brother. She prided herself on being a loyal friend and girlfriend, and despite her feelings, she would try and suppress them as best she could for both her and Stefan's sake.

Elena began to reminisce of when her mother was still alive, and how they had at one point discussed the fact that the world seemed to base most of its decisions upon emotion rather than rationality.

She had argued with Miranda about how one's heart could feel something so strong, so passionate, and for the feelings to seem so right when "in the moment," only for it to either be wrong or lead to some kind of horrible pain later on.

_"Your heart may have the right intentions sweetheart; your heart may desire the right thing, but sometimes even your heart can deceive you into believing what YOU want to believe, as opposed to what you NEED for yourself. For example: I remember when your father was struggling with a weight issue in college. He had gotten so stressed out with his studies, that he began to eat a lot of comfort food in order to help ease and distract his mind while he was still doing his work. Of course, none of us judged him because we loved him so much, plus judging never helps anything. However, it got to a point where he became very unhealthy and it was disrupting his sleeping schedule, energy levels, awareness, moods, etc. We had to be patient with him and help him understand that while we knew it was difficult, that him treating his body in such a way was not helping him at all. He begged me and your Uncle John to help him at one point, and we had to be his accountability partners for at least a year before he was able to hold his own again. We were happy to help him of course, but it was difficult sometimes, because he would fight us and try to convince us that he needed it. See Elena, your mind can tell you 'do whatever you want; do what you feel like doing; it's your choice, live life to the fullest. It must be right because it FEELS right.' True, that's a more fun and adventurous way of looking at it, but in many cases, there are consequences that accompany those decisions. Many people in our world suffer because they base their choices purely on 'feelings,' instead of taking the time to look ahead and see how their choices could affect them in the long run. I don't say this in a condemning way Elena, I say this as someone who has both witnessed and experienced what it's like to be in that position. Trust me, if you can avoid those results at all costs, then do it. That's why it's good to have a balance between emotion and logic, and to have self control. Once you achieve self control, you can pretty much overcome any other parts in your life that you struggle with. Make no mistake, you'll never be able to perfect your weaknesses, because that's what makes us human. It's a lifelong battle…but you learn how to beat it, how to win against it, how to overcome it during your most exhausting wars, so that when you're older, you know how to deal with it if it ever tries to control you again. And if you fail, the best thing you can do is forgive and forget, pick yourself up, and keep persevering, even if you have to endure some of the consequences along the way."_

"Yes mom…" Elena responded out loud to her flashback as she heard her mother's voice in her head. It was funny how she understood those words perfectly now compared to then. '_Sense and Sensibility' makes so much more sense to me now._

After a few more minutes of idle thinking, Damon walked back into the bedroom with a tray of perfectly arrayed food, drink, and medicine upon it. "I brought you soup! Delicious chicken soup!" He sang out while doing a funny little dance up to Elena's bed. She snorted at his goofy little song while covering her face with a pillow, the laughter becoming more and more apparent as she attempted to muffle it.

Feeling quite pleased with himself, Damon set the tray down on her bedside table and pulled up a chair so that he could sit next to her. "You coming out of there anytime soon miss giggle-pants?" He grabbed the pillow and lifted it up to see Elena's eyes shining with amusement at his words.

"Did you really just sing a quote from that old disney show 'Even Stevens?'" She asked while sitting up.

"Impressive, you caught my reference. And hey, how could I not? I saw an opportunity, and I seized it." Damon replied while taking the tray and carefully placing it on Elena.

"I don't know what's funnier, the fact that you of all people actually watched that show, or the fact that you actually sang a quote from it." Elena continued to giggle as she took a drink of the water he had provided for her.

Damon shrugged at the comment while casually folding his arms behind his head. "It was one of the few shows I could stomach after they took away the awesome cartoons. I used to think that Ren Stevens was kinda hot, and her brother was just a fun character over all."

"Eww…hitting on an 8th grader Damon? Really? You're old…" Elena commented while snickering.

The vampire waved his hand nonchalantly at her words; "Yeah yeah, be quiet and eat your soup." He replied while taking up her spoon and dipping it into the broth before offering it to her.

"Um…Damon…I can eat this without help you know…"

"Your point? Come on Elena, you're weak and tired. How about just letting me serve you for once, huh?"

Elena grinned with a little embarrassed shake of the head. "Noooo."

Damon jutted his lip out in a playful pout while giving her his best 'puppy-dog' eyes. "Oh don't be such a big baby. Come now; choo choo! Choo choo!" He joked while inching the spoon closer to her lips. Elena started to laugh against her will again, and Damon joined her this time as she finally gave in and let him feed her.

"Mmmm this is delicious Damon. Thank you so much for doing all of this for me." She said with gratitude while swallowing another bite he offered her.

"Oh it's nothing Elena; it's not everyday I get to play male nurse to someone I actually want to."

"Nurse? I thought you were a doctor."

Damon pinned his patient with a rather seductive glance as he replied in a joking manner, "For you doll, I could be both." Elena snorted into her orange juice at his response. "Stop making me laugh Damon, you're making me be all messy!" She scolded lightly while wiping herself down with a napkin. "You can be really cheesy, you know that?"

"Cheesy? No…charming? Yes." Was the reply as Damon continued to spoon feed the slightly flabbergasted girl.

The two of them continued to have a pleasant conversation throughout the meal, joking around and talking about random, fun topics that they usually didn't get to partake in, especially with times being as dangerous as they were.

As Elena continued to enjoy her meal, she noticed that Damon had taken the time to make her some special coat throat tea with honey and lemon in it; he had also brought her a packet of Hall's cough drops for colds, some Mucinex, and some tylenol to help with the fever and headaches. To say she was touched was an understatement, as she had never been this sick before in her life, thus she wasn't accustomed to being served a special, lovely cuisine, designed for those who were ill.

At one point, the sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted their pleasant conversation. Damon walked over to the dresser and looked at the caller. "Hey luv, do you want me to take this call or should I tell them to bite me?" He asked, while smirking at his own quip.

Elena chuckled while shaking her head."Who is it?"

"It's Jeremy."

"Yeeeeeah I'm still a bit annoyed with him. Just tell him to bite you."

"With pleasure." Damon responded with glee, totally surprising Elena by answering the phone with those exact words. "Bite me Jeremy."

"I didn't mean literally you jerk!" Elena exclaimed as he hung up, mildly horrified that he actually did it.

"Whoops." Damon replied unapologetically, "my bad; major herp derp on my part."

"Herp derp?! What the heck does that mean?!" Elena asked, a mixture of confusion and amusement etched across her face.

"Just an expression I picked up at college. Now then, are you finished with your meal? If you are, you should drink your tea and take your meds." He responded while sitting back down.

"Yessss Dr. Damon."

After taking all of her medicine and drinking down the tea, Damon took her tray downstairs, and returned with a thermometer and a cold, wet washcloth. "Still warm." He muttered after feeling Elena's temperature again. "Open wide pumpkin."

She groaned in response, as she hated having her temperature taken. "Damooon-"

"Now Elena."

The drowsy girl sighed at his no-nonsense tone, before complying to his command. "101. 5…" Damon read, worry spreading across his face. "Well, that's not good is it?"

"I'll be fine, the medicine still needs time to make it through my system." Elena tried to reassure him, not happy with the diagnosis either.

"You're right, and do you know the best way to pass the time while waiting for it to take effect?"

"A movie?" She asked hopefully.

"No, you silly girl. A nice long nap." Was the reply as the cool washcloth was placed upon Elena's feverish brow.

"But Damon…I'd much rather watch a movie." She pleaded, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Oh I know you would prefer that," Damon began while walking over to the other side of the bed and flopping down next to his charge. "But you are in some serious need of sleep my dear. And whether you admit it or not, I know you are tired. I saw those yawns you tried to stifle a little while ago."

"Or maybe, I just wasn't getting enough oxygen because I wasn't taking enough deep breaths." She argued, knowing that source of information to be medically true.

Damon smiled at her cute reply, still refusing to budge. "Nice try Elena, but you're going to bed; you need to shut down for a bit. No arguing."

The frustrated girl gave a growl of annoyance before pulling the covers up over her chest and settling down beneath their warmth.

"Aww don't be like that Elena. I'm just looking out for you, that's all. If you don't rest, you could get worse you know?"

Elena merely sighed before settling her gaze upon her caretaker. "I know you are…and I'm grateful to you Damon, I really am. I guess I'm just feeling a bit grumpy…I hate being sick."

The vampire nodded in agreement at her statement, before using his free hand to stroke her hair in a calming motion. "I understand Elena…if you feel better when you wake up, maybe we could watch a movie downstairs ok?"

"That'd be nice…" She replied with a sleepy smile before yawning widely.

Damon looked over Elena with adoration, wanting nothing more than to hold her in his arms while she fell asleep. "Sleep now beautiful." He whispered as he continued to stroke her dark locks. He watched as she closed her eyes, seeming at peace under his touch.

Elena forgot how needy she could be when feeling sick. Even though she didn't get sick a lot, she remembered that the last couple of times, she had felt like a little girl in need of her parent's care. In fact, the last time she felt this bad was when her parents were still alive. She remembered having to stay in bed all weekend, and her mother had never left her side that whole time. The memories, precious though they were, also brought on a wave of painful nostalgia, as she knew she'd never get to hear her mother's soothing hum by her bedside again.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, not wanting to dwell on such painful thoughts. She whimpered without meaning to, and felt tears slowly trickle down her face.

"What's wrong Elena?" A kind voice cut through her thoughts, bringing slight relief to her tormented mind.

"I just…I want my…I miss my mom…" came the soft, choked up reply.

Damon was surprised when Elena suddenly rolled over and snuggled up to his side, clearly in need of comfort and distraction from her reverie. He wasted no time in accommodating her needs, and slowly wrapped his arms around her as she cried quietly in his embrace. He gently rocked her as she lamented her mother's absence, whispering sweet nothings into her ear to lull her sorrows.

"She used to take care of me like this Damon…when I was sick-" she couldn't finish the sentence as it was just too much.

"Shhh shhhhh…I'm here, please don't be sad Elena. I've got you…shhhh…" His heart ached for the girl he was holding; he hated to see her cry, it was one of his ultimate weaknesses. Elena was feeling refreshed by their tender moment, relishing in the feeling of his warm embrace. She felt herself quieting down as Damon began to hum a beautiful tune…a lullaby to put her spirit at rest.

As she began to fall asleep, she couldn't help but think again about how her feelings for Damon were growing. It worried her, bothered her…because the last thing she wanted to do was break Stefan's heart. She knew that feelings were liable to change, especially since he was out being his _ripper_ version with Klaus, while Damon stayed behind to look after her and help find Stefan.

_Mom, what if I end up failing in this situation?_ Elena asked in her head, wishing her mother was alive. _I love Stefan so much…there are so many things about him that make me feel just…happy and right. He protects me and respects my decisions, even when he disagrees with them. And yet…here's Damon, the one who also protects me; but he does it in a way that I don't always like. He usually makes me stay put, no matter how much I protest, and doesn't budge in most cases. Yet, I feel challenged by him in that way, and sometimes I feel even more protected, because he doesn't always give in to what I want._

The emotionally, physically drained girl could feel her body going limp as she succumbed to the wave of sleep that finally enveloped her.

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Elena could feel herself floating between the worlds of reality and dreams, vaguely aware of what was happening around her.

Someone's hand was caressing her face…it felt soft and feminine, and smelled of a familiar perfume. Elena wanted to open her eyes when she heard a soft voice whispering her name…one she hadn't heard since the accident.

_"Elena…Elena…don't try to open your eyes sweetie. You're tired and you need your rest."_

"M-mom?!" She gasped while blindly grabbing for the air, frustrated that her eyes felt as if they were glued shut.

She felt a pair of hands take hold of her flailing ones, rubbing them in a soothing gesture as the voice hushed her frantic actions.

_"It's alright Elena…calm down, I'm here…don't be afraid."_

Elena could almost feel her mother's tender smile, and she instantly felt appeased as peace took over her form.

"Why…why are you here?"

_"You fell asleep honey…you're dreaming right now."_

"But why can't I see you?"

_"Because your body is sick sweetie, and it really needs to rest. If you continue to fight with yourself any longer, you'll just get worse. Now, try to relax and just listen to my voice. I've come to be with you for as long as I can."_

Elena took Miranda's hand and brought it up to her trembling lips, cherishing the feel of her soft touch. "I've missed you so much mom. I'm glad you're here."

_"I've missed you too sweetie…so, looks like you've had quite the adventure with all these new changes in your life huh? Don't worry, I'm not upset or anything; I want to be able to answer some of the questions you have for me. Try hard to focus on my words okay? Remembering them will help you a lot in the near future."_

Her daughter nodded in response, eagerly awaiting to hear the words of wisdom.

_"I heard your question before you fell asleep honey, and here's what I have to say. You're with Stefan right now; you two have already been through quite a bit together, but you're in a spot where your loyalty to him is being tested, and it's even harder than before. It's at times like these that you get a glimpse of what it will be like to be married; it's actually great practice. My mother used to tell me, that it actually takes a few years before a person's deepest colors are shown, especially in a relationship that's working well. In fact, she dated your grandfather for four years before they got married."_

"Good grief! Four years?!"

_"Yes my dear, four years. They weren't in a hurry, nor were they afraid of commitment. They waited, mostly because they wanted to get through college and make sure they were financially stable to start a life together. In the end, they were able to have the wedding they desired, and lived a happy marriage. Yes, there were many times when they fought each other and were tested to the point that they almost got a divorce. Yet, they never allowed things to remain broken. They always found a way to glue back the pieces, even if they needed the help of others. And there were times, Elena, where they struggled with their feelings and even fell out of love with each other. But that vow, that promise they made at the altar was what kept them together. They learned how to move past the mere 'feelings' of their relationship, and worked on rebuilding and healing the grey and weak areas in their life. They learned how to fall back in love with each other, even when it seemed like it was a never-ending process."_

Elena felt tears in her eyes at her mother's words. She knew such things were possible in marriages, but it still amazed her that such loyalty ever existed. It was inspiring…empowering.

"Is that what kept you and daddy together?"

_"Yes Elena, it was. We experienced those moments as well. The difference was that we didn't date each other as long as your grandparents did before we got married. Something people don't realize is that you don't really fall in love, you GROW in love. It seems like you fall in love at first sight or when the relationship first begins, but honestly sweetie, that's just puppy love. It's the incredibly happy, lovey-dovey, innocent, and cutesy feeling that accompanies the beginning of almost every relationship. You grow in love when you go through the trials and overcome them as a couple; falling in love is the rare stage that not many people get to experience after all that; it's what happens when you come out on the other side, and realize you can pretty much accomplish anything as a couple. At that moment, things almost seem to get easier, even when difficulties come your way, and your love grows even stronger as a result; almost overwhelmingly strong compared to when you and your beloved first met, which is why it seems like you're falling in love all over again, except it's more real. It's because you learn how to become a pro at picking your battles and keeping the peace; how to keep yourself from getting offended easily on yours or other people's behalf; how to know when to deal with the drama in your life, and when it's better to just walk away. You never stop learning something new as you grow Elena, especially when you get married. One of the keys to a successful relationship or marriage, is selflessness and humility. If your father and I didn't learn how to say 'I'm sorry, I was wrong,' to each other, even during the times when one of us wasn't wrong, we probably wouldn't have lasted. It's easier for some and harder for others, but if you want it that badly, then you'll get over the discomfort and work for it. Elena, I know you're someone who wants to marry and have a family someday as well…so while you continue experience love, make sure to ask yourself if the person you're with is someone you can see yourself being with for the rest of your life. Is he worth all the struggles you'll experience together as husband and wife? Is he someone you can love completely, despite his flaws? Is he someone you're willing to fight and die for? Because if you ever reach a point where divorce seems like a possibility, you're going to want to fight it with every fiber of your being."_

Elena laughed quietly at her mother's passionate tone while nodding. "Yes mom, I understand. You clearly have never been a fan of divorce, and hey, I'm right there with you. But I'm just curious mom, would you still stand by all that you've just told me, if you were in an abusive relationship or if say, Daddy ever cheated on you?"

There was pregnant silence that followed her question, and Elena began to wonder if her mother's presence had left the room. She felt relieved when her mother's voice broke through her thoughts.

_"That's a tough question Elena, but a very good and important one as well. Before I explain my opinion about that, I think it's very important to remember that people make mistakes all the time, it's a part of the growing process. I'm not saying that you should justify all of your mistakes with that excuse, but it's definitely something that needs to be remembered before you reach a verdict on how to deal with or judge the guilty party. I'm someone who believes in second chances Elena; your father has never raised a hand to me in his life. If he had, I would've been shocked and probably horrified as well. But I would take some time for myself to think about the reason behind him doing that, and after calming myself down, I would talk with him and see how he would react to our discussion. Honestly, Elena, I would give him a second chance, because sometimes people do things on impulse that they would never do in a million years. The stress of growing usually opens doors for change in the body and the mind. You never think about it until you experience it luv; I've learned from personal experience, that people sometimes develop chemical imbalances later on in their lives, it's not only something that accompanies one from birth. A lot of times, it goes unnoticed too, and then that person with the imbalance is labelled as crazy, or bad, or strange, or unstable, or rejected, etc. In those cases, it's an absolute necessity to have someone help you, so that you can learn how to handle it, share it with others who don't understand what it's like to be in that position, and be there for those that go through the same thing. Again, this doesn't mean that it should be used in every situation as an excuse or justified explanation, because there are some sick, disturbed people out there Elena. But it's still something that one should think about before deciding on a course of action after being wronged. Anyway, you get the point; I'd give your father a second chance if that were to ever happen. However, if he were to do it again after that, even if it were to pain me, I'd most likely have to separate from him. If one ever has an accurate need for divorce, I believe that abuse and adultery are definitely good reasons for that."_

"Yeah, you never answered that question mom. What if dad cheated on you?" Elena asked, really curious to know how her mom would respond to that.

_"While that would be horrible Elena, I'd still give him a second chance if he was repentant. It would hurt…I'd feel like I was dying inside…but then again, if I didn't forgive him and give him another chance, I'd be a hypocrite. Like I told you when I was still alive, feelings can't be stopped, because they happen even when we don't want them to. If your father occasionally looked at another woman while being with me, he never told me, which is honestly fine with me. I mean, if he had told me, I'd appreciate his honesty, but then I'd probably start to feel self-conscious and like I needed to make myself more appealing for him so that he wouldn't leave me. I'd also probably start to feel a bit jealous and worry all the time about what he was thinking, especially when around other women. That can drive a woman up the wall, and sometimes turn her into a crazy person. I know that honesty is important in a relationship Elena, but I firmly believe that there are some things that are better left unsaid for the sake of peace or protection. Believe it or not, there are very few cases where honesty can come across as selfish, even if it's unintentional. For example: If I had called my parents in college every single time I did something that was either wrong or that affected me negatively, then they would've been worrying about me all the time and think that I was miserable; they'd only know the negative, even though deep down I was really having a great time; that kind of worry is unnecessary. It'd be one thing if your father were to confess to me that he was struggling with a 'wandering eye' and it was a legit problem that could affect our marriage; in that case, we would get counseling. But if he were to randomly tell me when he was checking out some other chick for a split second, every time it happened, then that wouldn't really benefit us in a positive way at all. There are some things that people just have to learn on their own, without people helping them, or at least from someone who's outside their family or friends; like a counselor or psychologist."_

Elena's mouth dropped open in awe at the truth of her mother's words."Wow…I never though of it that way. That's actually a very good and accurate point mom. Thanks."

She felt her Miranda's hands caress her brow. _"I'm happy to help sweetie. So, despite the fact that I explained everything in the form of a novel, do you pretty much understand what I've said so far?"_

Elena chuckled at her mom's joking tone while nodding her head. "Yes mom, I do. Although, you might have to sum it all together for me after I ask you another question. Everything you've said so far makes sense, and makes me feel more relieved and confident about my personal struggles. But…out of curiosity…I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but…well…even before Stefan was forced to leave with Klaus, Damon kind of…he sort of put himself in a more authoritative position over me. I mean, he's been fairly protective of me since the day we met; but his protectiveness over me has grown. That much was evident when he…well…he kinda spanked me one time."

Miranda was shocked at that confession; she asked her daughter to tell her the story of what had happened to put her in that position.

It took Elena a couple of minutes to explain what happened, as she was feeling rather embarrassed at the memory and paused frequently in between sentences. When she had finally related every tiny detail, including the things Damon has said to her before, during, and after the experience, Elena waited to hear her the reaction.

She was surprised to hear her mother giggling quietly in response. _"Wow…well I must say, that was definitely not something I expected. You've always been very stubborn Elena; we often had to resort to that same method when you were a little girl when you acted that way."_

Elena huffed indignantly at the words; "Hey, who's side are you on mom? I'm just curious to know your thoughts on how Damon handled me. He's promised me a repeat of that treatment if I ever endanger my life like that again, or pretty much whenever Stefan isn't around and I act like a brat."

_"Well…it does seem awfully old fashioned. But after all you've told me and from what I've seen of Damon, it seems like that's the one thing keeping you from really endangering yourself Elena. I know it seems rather odd that I'm agreeing with him, but trust me, if he hadn't already been alive for as long as he has, and if you guys hadn't already been through a lot of intense moments and matured together as friends, I would've probably protested otherwise. I can definitely see why you've struggled with your feelings with him. It sounds like Stefan is definitely a gentleman who loves you, but he doesn't seem to challenge you in quite the same way that his older brother does. Stefan respects your decisions, even when he's protested them at times, am I right? But he's never really been able to stop you from going through with your plans even when they were really dangerous. Forgive me for saying this sweetie, but even though you two are adorable together, it looks like Damon has been able to keep my baby alive better than anyone else so far. Plus, he seems to demonstrate the most self control and restraint with you compared to anyone else in the town, which has helped in the process of redeeming his own flaws. He'll do anything to keep you safe Elena, and he'll do anything for you as well, except allow you to put yourself into danger. I think he knows when it's necessary to prepare and go into battle sweetie; but he also knows when you need to sit them out. Personally, that makes me have a great deal of respect and admiration for him, even though the mother bear inside of me doesn't want to admit it. Besides, every girl likes to feel protection from her man, whether she admits it or not. You admitted earlier that it makes you feel safe when Damon gets strict with you like that, because it assures you that he'll go through any lengths to ensure your well being, even if it means disciplining you. And you've never asked him to really stop doing that before, have you? Because if you haven't, that pretty much sums up the fact that you appreciate him taking you in hand, right?"_

The half conscious girl nodded her head while sighing in defeat. "Yes, you're right mom…even if I don't like to admit it, you're dead right. It's not a very pleasant position to be in, that's for sure…but I never felt abused either when that happened, just embarrassed really. Afterwards though, the comfort that he bestowed upon me was just…absolutely…beautiful and welcomed. It was what I needed."

Miranda smiled knowingly at her daughter's confession, pleased with her reply. "Anyway, for right now, he remains one of my best friends and other guardians aside from Alaric. He's also proclaimed himself as a surrogate older brother over me, so long as I am dating his brother."

Another chuckle was heard. _"Oh Elena, you really are lucky if you think about it. You have loyal friends and family who are willing to go through every length to keep both you and Jeremy safe. I'm grateful for that too sweetheart; you pretty much have your own earthly guardian angels, since I can't be there with you. That's every mother's prayer, for her children to be protected and loved when she can't be there."_

Elena felt tears gather in her eyes at her mom's words. "I miss you so much mom…you have no idea how much I wish you were here."

_"I miss you too baby." _She responded while planting a kiss on her daughter's cheek. _"But never forget that I'm always watching over you, and am still with you even though you can't see me."_

Tears continued to pour out of the young girl's eyes at the comforting words. Trying to compose herself, Elena stifled a yawn before asking her mother one last question. "What if I fail you mom? What if I do something stupid? Hurt myself, fall in love with Damon while I'm still with Stefan, succumb to the weakness of my flesh…?"

_"You could never disappoint me Elena, you're my daughter. And don't worry about all of that right now sweetie. I know you love both Stefan and Damon; if there ever comes a time where you need to make a decision between them, and it happens to be Damon, it might mean that you're supposed to move on from Stefan. I just hope that you're able to make that decision based on something other than mere attraction. But regardless of what you do, I love you and I always will Elena. I just know that your future is going to be full of wonders amidst the tough times, and I will be smiling with you during your moments of triumph and happiness. Now, rest sweetheart…you're sick and you need to heal."_

"Don't go mommy…" Elena mumbled, feeling sleep take over her as her mother's voice continued to comfort and soothe her.

_"Shhhh…I'll never leave you baby…I'm right here…always…always…"_

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hello all! Thank you to those of you who reviewed my story, it really encouraged me to keep going. :) I am also grateful to all of my readers who favored me and are following me now, I definitely feel the love! I don't mean to put any pressure on you guys, but I would really love to hear more of your feedback on what you think of the story and offer any suggestions if you have them. Once again, I would like to remind everyone that flames are completely unnecessary and will not be acknowledged; however, constructive criticism is more than welcome, as I aspire to become a better writer with every story I create.**

**This story does contain corporal punishment of a teenager in later chapters, so if this is not your thing, then please don't ignore my warning and then act all appalled and surprised when you read the material and end up feeling offended. **

**In order to make my story work, I'm adding an extra scene in the next chapter which will take place before the events in the 5th episode of season 2, where Klaus disrupts senior prank night and terrorizes the students. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Elena slept for a good 4 hours before waking up; she felt much better afterwards, her throat pain was gone thank goodness, but everything else still ached. She knew she'd have to really take it easy if she was going to heal by tomorrow morning. Damon wasn't by her side anymore, and she actually whined when making that discovery, missing the comforting nearness of his presence; but she;d never tell him that. Wrapping her favorite faux fur throw around her shoulders, the pale girl slowly walked downstairs.

"Well well, look who finally woke up." Damon said from the living room couch, smiling softly at her appearance. "How are you feeling sleeping beauty?"

Elena couldn't help but blush at his caring question; it was always nice to be complimented in such a way. Any girl would beam at being referred to as a princess of great beauty, regardless of who said it.

"I'm alright I guess…I feel much better, but I still have the chills and am really weak." She replied tiredly, shuffling over to the couch.

"Come sit with me then doll, I'll warm you up." Damon replied with a wink while moving some of the pillows to the side.

Elena rolled her eyes while sitting next to him; "Careful Damon, I'm still Stefan's you know."

"Not right now you're not…" His voice took on a serious tone, momentarily surprising the brunette. "So, do you still want to watch a movie?"

"Hmmm…definitely. I'm in the mood for something with action; I need an adrenaline rush since I'm taking a day off from…well, from doing what I want." She pouted at the vampire, trying to get him to pity her situation.

Her pleading expression only earned a knowing chuckle from Damon, as he sighed with a pleasant, carefree air. "You mean since you're taking a day off from going on your suicide missions, even though you insist it's necessary because you're doing it for your friends? Yeah…nice try Elena, but I'm not budging. Anyway, changing the subject, a movie with action sounds great! I'm going to get you something to drink and eat, and grab the thermometer okay? Why don't you go make a selection while I do that?"

Elena smiled while nodding her head, feeling very flattered at the way Damon was worrying over her. As he left the room, she bounded over to the movie shelf and thumbed through the DVDs, searching for the perfect one. When her caretaker came back with a tray of more healing essentials after a couple of minutes, Elena turned to face him with with an excited grin while holding up "The Avengers."

"Wow! Nice! You just scored some major bonus points with me Elena." Damon replied, dazzling her with his second smirk-free smile of the day while nodding in approval at her choice. "Of course you were already at 105% in my book, I'm just saying you scored extra with your surprising good taste in movies. Bravo!"

Elena giggled at his praise, feeling quite pleased with herself while clapping her hands in a rather adorable manner.

_Now there's a rare display of childish cuteness I've never seen before._ Damon thought, enjoying how bubbly she was acting; it was a huge improvement from her attitude that morning.

After Elena popped in the movie, she skipped back over to the couch and waited for Damon to make room for her. He set down the tray upon the table before grabbing a pillow and hugging it; he then surprised Elena by grabbing her arm, and yanking her down so that she was lying on the couch with her head in his lap.

"Hey!" She yelped as she fell, "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, it's fun taking you by surprise." He replied while tweaking her nose, causing her to hiss playfully at him. He proceeded to check her temperature, relieved that it had gone down a degree, but still not satisfied with her condition. "You're getting there darlin, we just need to get you back down to a healthy 98.6 and we'll be good."

Elena stared up at him as he took the thermometer from her mouth. "Sooo you wouldn't be content if I was at a 99.0? That's only like 4 digits above 98.6 ya know."

"Very good Elena! 2+2=4!"

She smacked his chest at the facetious reply, causing him to laugh at her feistiness. "Shut up you snarky vampire! You know what I meant."

Damon nodded at her faint-hearted response, the last bits of his laughter dying after her protest. "Yes, I knew what you meant; and to answer your question, nope! I wouldn't be content; wanna know why? Because you would insist to everyone that you were fine, which would probably be true at first, but then you'd proceed to work yourself into getting more sick because you're stubborn. It wouldn't matter what the reason was; you could be doing homework, playing a sports game for the heck of it, going to the grill with your friends, playing with one of Stefan's bunnies that he drank from recently, or try to play the hero by dramatically going after the dangerous vampires, intent to negotiate with them for our freedom from their never-ending control over us. And then who would have to come and rescue you from your shenanigans? That's right, me. Like I said, 98.6 and I'll be happy."

Elena pursed her lips at the truth of his words, while crossing her arms, piqued at his refusal to back down with the whole overprotective thing. "FINE point taken…"

The movie began to play, interrupting any further conversation between the two.

The couple really got into the movie as it went on, even though they'd seen it before. Damon treated it like it was a football game, while Elena acted as if she were a cheerleader on the sidelines, constantly making witty comments or cheering on the heroes whenever a scene got intense. Both were very amused with each other's reactions to the film, it was probably one of the most real, genuine moments they shared as friends.

Elena hadn't ever seen Damon act so freely around her, while Damon had never seen Elena acknowledge a movie character with such obvious adoration before. It made him curious to know what was going through her mind, and pretty soon, she began to divert his attention even more than the crazy action on the screen.

Damon couldn't contain his inquisitiveness any longer when Elena began to subtly, or attempt to anyway, sigh dreamily at the main villain as he wreaked havoc on a party in Germany. "I'm sorry, but Loki is so hot." She stated bluntly, beating him to the punch of asking the question.

"Okaaayyyy Elena, tell me how you really feel." He replied sarcastically, causing her to snicker as she face-palmed herself.

"I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Yep! Although with all of those riveting facial expressions you were making whenever he appeared on the screen, I would't exactly say you were being indirect. So, enlighten me, what is it about him that you find oh so attractive-?"

"SHH! FAVORITE PART!" She suddenly interrupted while sitting up quickly.

_"Kneel before me! I said…KNEEEEEEEEEEEL!" _

Elena's breath hitched in her throat at Loki's roar, biting her lip and kicking her feet with enthusiasm. This drew an extremely wide-eyed look from Damon, as he took in her obvious state of arousal. "You…are a very strange little girl."

"SHH!"

_"Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation."_

"Oh yes…I crave it baby, I crave it baaaad!" Elena breathed while fanning herself, crushing a nearby pillow into her chest as she bit down on the edges.

_"The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity!You were made…to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."_

"Mmmm you had my at kneel, you sexy, domineering man you." Elena exhaled in absolute contentment while falling back into the couch. "Okay, I'm good now," she added before relaxing her grip on the pillow.

The fact that her words were followed with a suspicious silence, caused her to look over at Damon questioningly. She burst out laughing upon seeing Damon's mouth hanging wide open with a mixture of shock and amusement, as he pressed himself into the corner of the couch as if her were afraid of her.

"Umm…care to tell me what in the hell THAT was all about?!" He finally asked while taking up the remote to pause the movie.

"Nothiiiiiing Damon, just me being a fan girl that's all." The innocence in Elena's tone implied that she was holding a lot back, and the older Salvator brother was not going to miss the opportunity to dig up some dirt in the mind of Elena Gilbert.

"Heh, no no no, you can't do what you just did and expect me to act indifferent. Come on Elena, it's me; inquiring minds want to know!" Was there a hint of _begging _in his tone?

The slightly embarrassed girl groaned while stretching her arms, before deciding she'd humor him. "Okay fiiiiine. You want to know what I love about Loki? Well it can't really be explained."

"Oh come on now, try me. I'm surprised you weren't going for Thor, the goody-goody. I mean don't get me wrong, I still love the guy; he's bad ass and even I'll admit that he's a good looking dude. Wouldn't surprise me a bit since most girls swoon over him. But Loki? I mean, I never pegged you to be a type who'd be into the villains."

Elena shrugged while nodding in agreement to his words. "Yeah, I see your point. But well..where should I start? I mean I love Thor too, but Loki is just…well aside from having, in my opinion, a very beautiful and handsome face that's very different from his brother's, he's just far more intriguing. In all honesty, I find his controlling nature to be very appealing! I mean yeah, that's not always the best trait to have if you don't know how to use it correctly, but with him it just sets my body on fire. I can't help that; it is what it is."

Damon couldn't believe she just admitted that to him! To say he was astounded was an understatement, as she wasn't normally one to confess such private feelings. _It's probably the meds she's on; making her just bit woozy._

"Why Elena Gilbert, you dirty little freak you!" He exclaimed in a jesting tone as his mouth fell into and even wider smile.

"SHUT UP!" Elena replied pathetically, proving that Damon was pretty much right in his assumptions.

"You don't deny it either! HA! I knew you weren't as innocent as you always act!" He dodged the pillow that came sailing towards his face, unable to hide his glee as he uncovered one of her naughty secrets.

"HEY! It's not like I'm whoring myself around or anything you jerk! It's just something I discovered about myself, and while I can hide it from others, I can't deny it to myself."

Damon covered his mouth with his hand as he began to chortle uncontrollably, still not believing that this sweet girl whom he loved had a kinkier side to her personality. "No, I'm not saying that at all; I'm just…surprised I guess! I never would have taken you for the submissive type."

"Woah woah woah buddy, I am NOT a submissive!" Elena protested while holding her hands up in defense; "I just…there are times when I find it really hot when a man takes authority over a situation. It challenges your response, sometimes it angers you or makes you quake with fear, and yet that fear is more of a thrill because it makes you feel protected, which also turns you on at the same time. Makes you conform to obedience, even when you don't want to."

Damon smirked at the irony of her words; "Like I said…submissive!" He exclaimed while pointing at her with a triumphant grin.

The stubborn girl continued to shake her head; "Damon, if I was a real submissive, I'd be completely and meekly obedient or passive most of the time! I mean sure, I won't deny that I have those qualities in me, but I definitely have my limits. I think it would depend on who I was with though; if they tried to take advantage of me, I'd stop them in a heartbeat. Plus, you know I have a feisty side."

"Riiiiiight but if it's Loki, you'll pretty much ignore your limits and just take whatever he has to offer?"

A red blush filled Elena's face as she registered his words, realizing that she probably would do exactly that, if she were ever to come face to face with the god of mischief. "…Yeah pretty much. Unless he was going to turn it into a torture session, I think I'd just grin and bear it."

"Careful Elena, your hypocrite is showing." Damon said with a smirk.

"Whatever, you know what I mean. Yes, I'm contradicting myself when it comes to Loki, because let's face it, he's Loki! Can't really explain that one, I'm sorry. That's probably just me being a bit shallow in the midst of my lustiness; but then again, this is my mind telling me what I think I would do. I've never experienced a sexual situation where I played the submissive/dominant game before, so I can't safely say that I would know." Elena admitted, mingling her defense with the truth of her thoughts.

"Which makes me wonder even more, why in the world you're with Stefan when he's just so…vanilla." Damon teased, knowing he was probably treading in hot waters with that question.

As he predicted, Elena pinned him with her disapproving glare; "That's really none of your business Damon. We just clicked and that's all there is to it; I know that love, true love changes people, because their preferences can change and they sometimes end up discovering that they don't care or struggle as much with certain things that they did before. I'm perfectly content with Stefan as he is; but if a time ever came where we found out that we weren't meant for each other, I would definitely hope that my next boyfriend could be someone who would fulfill the fetishes I have…or think I have…" She laughed a little nervously at the end of that sentence, wondering why she was being so open with Damon about all this, when she hadn't even really told Stefan about it.

Damon pursed his lips, trying to refrain from audibly mentioning that the descriptions within her confessed secrets, were ironically, very similar to his own personality. He had been protective of Elena most of their friendship, and took it upon himself to be her guardian angel and even dole out the consequences of her actions when she refused to listen to reason.

While he admitted that his way of doing things might be considered _abusive_ by any of those standing outside their circle, Elena hadn't yet made protests that were of a seriously fearful or desperate nature. She hadn't threatened to go to the police or anything like that, and she even thanked him the last time he dealt with her because she knew it was needed.

Damon may have contained a very dominant trait, but he would NEVER in his life hurt Elena. She was a spirited little thing and was not afraid to to speak her mind, even in the most life threatening situations; he had witnessed it himself. If she ever asked him to stop acting as disciplinarian, he would do it in a heartbeat, because he'd know she was being dead serious.

"Touche Elena," he finally responded, interrupting his own thoughts. "So before we continue this movie, I have to ask, is your infatuation for Loki merely the root of your libido?"

"It's not actually," she replied without blinking. "Aside from his physical appeal, there's more about him that draws me in. True, his actions may be wrong when it comes to his morality, but even he has a redeeming quality. I mean, he was able to love at one point right? We saw that in 'Thor;' but he let jealousy and bitterness transform him into a darker being, which pretty much heightened his desires to wreak havoc on the earth and gain control of mankind. I'll admit that all my life, I've always felt compassion for the villains, at least the ones that weren't created from pure evil like in many of today's horror movies. Mom used to tell me that 'hurting people hurt people,' which is so true. Most of the time, the villains cry out louder than the heroes…but the difference is that, sadly…no one can hear them."

Damon actually felt his chest tighten at the wisdom of her words…it almost hit home for him, as he felt like Elena was illustrating him with her verbal imagery. He hastily shook his head, refusing to let any kind of sorrowful emotion cloud is mind.

"Well said Elena…if only everyone else saw through your eyes, I think we'd be closer to world peace and would have less monsters in our midst."

Elena smiled gingerly at the authenticity of his response, unsure how to follow his complimentary words. "Shall we continue?" She asked while laying her head back down on Damon's lap.

He nodded and pushed the play button, ready to be distracted again by the upbeat tempo of the action-filled movie.

It was about 3:30 when it finally finished, and Elena retrieved her cell phone to call Jeremy while Damon went into the kitchen to do some tidying up.

_"Hey sis, how are you feeling?"_ Jeremy asked on the other line, happy that she had returned his call after Damon answered him the first time.

"I'm doing much better Jer bear. Turns out that I had a temperature of 101.5 degrees when Damon checked this morning."

_"Dang! Well I'm glad we made you go home then; I hope you're not still too sore with me about that by the way."_

She grinned at the hope in her brother's voice; "No Jeremy, I'm not. I was pretty grumpy this morning towards you wasn't I? Sorry about that bro, I guess that's what happens when you combine the poor timing of sickness with your period all in the same day."

_"Woooooooaaaah…yeah, thank you, too much information." _Came the grossed out reply, making Elena laugh at her brother's discomfort.

_"So, I'm going to head to the grill with Tyler and Matt; Bonnie and Caroline wanted to know if they could drop by and visit you? I think they're worried about you, plus Caroline has that maternal look on her face; I think she's wanting to play nurse."_

"Ha ha, awww well that's sweet of them. But I think I'm in good hands right now Jer." She responded while glancing at Damon in the kitchen. "Besides, I don't think my personal physician would be very happy if I had company over, since he is absolutely determined that I remain miserable, and get better without having any fun at all."

"I heard that ya brat! Quit exaggerating or else!" Came a lighthearted voice from the kitchen, causing Elena to endearingly stick out her tongue in its owner's direction.

_"Speaking of Damon, why in the world did that douche answer your phone when I tried to call you earlier today?"_

Elena bit her lip sheepishly at the question, feeling a bit bad about that earlier circumstance. "Oh yeah…that. Well, he asked me if he should take that call or tell you to bite him when he saw your name. I told him to do the latter, but I was joking. I didn't think he'd actually do it; sorry about that bro."

_"Of course he would, he's a smarmy dick. But it's alright sis, I was just wondering. I'll have to get him back for that later though."_

"Well you have fun with that Jer; but remember, he did help you with today's plan of making sure I stayed home and rested. So technically, you owe him a favor."

_"Damn…you're right…oh well. By the way, I went around today to collect your homework, and you'll be happy to know that none of your classes had any new assignments. The teachers all told their students to just continue working on their projects or papers for the midterm. So you can continue to rest tonight dearest sister."_

Elena pumped her fist while mouthing a silent _YES _at that welcome news. "Awesome Jer! Thanks for checking for me; well I guess I should let you go then. Damon is going to stay with me until later tonight, so don't worry about getting me anything from The Grill. Oh, and tell the girls I'll call or text them in a bit okay?"

_"Will do! Love ya!"_

After hanging up, Elena was about to go into the kitchen to help Damon with some of the cleaning, but the vibration of her phone stopped her.

_STEFAN CALLING_

Her face paled at seeing that name, and for a moment, the stunned girl forgot how to breathe. Not wanting to miss her opportunity, Elena quickly ran to the stairs, wanting to get to her room before Damon could suspect her.

"Where are you going beautiful?!" The vampire called as he came walking out of the kitchen.

Trying to disguise her facial expression, Elena did her best to act nonchalant and cover her shaking voice as she reached the top of the stairs. "Oh…it's just Bonnie. She texted me earlier about needing some confidential girl talk after school; you know, stuff guys wouldn't really like to hear." She didn't stop to watch Damon's reaction after answering him.

Elena hoped he would just believe her and leave her alone as she shut the door behind her. With any luck, the call wouldn't be a sinister one; she already knew that her guest downstairs wouldn't be too happy about her lying to him.

_But surely he'd understand…Stefan is MY boyfriend after all. I just want to know that he's safe, even if I can't see him!_

"Hello?!" She answered frantically, her heart beating faster as she anticipated the sound of Stefan's voice.

_"Hello there, my little doppleganger…"_

That voice did not belong to Stefan. It was- "Klaus?" Elena whispered, hoping Damon's vampire hearing wasn't tuning in at the moment.

_"I must confess you sound awfully…alive. Which means my so called 'friend' lied to me."_

Elena felt the world around her stop as she realized that Klaus now knew the truth about her fake death. Her mouth went dry; she fell onto the bed as a her body became deprived if its equilibrium.

_"I'll make this simple for you Elena Gilbert…" _the voice sneered vehemently on the other end; _"you are the reason why my plans have been foiled ever since the night of the sacrifice. If you value the life of your beloved, you will meet me in the town square in one hour, or else you will never see him again."_

The terrified girl's breathing grew heavier as she struggled to find her voice. She suddenly felt the full weight of her sickness bearing down upon her again, weakening her in every way possible. She wanted to his bidding right away, but knew what would happen if she tried to go on this day of all days.

"I-I…I can't…I'm terribly sick today with a fever. Couldn't we do this tomorrow when I'm better? Please? I know it sounds silly to ask such a request, but I swear I'll come peacefully if we can just wait until then…"

A disbelieving cackle answered her whimpering request, causing the poor girl's lip to tremble as she already knew what the answer was going to be. _"Yes, you are a silly girl for thinking you can negotiate with me! You should thank me, for being merciful enough as to let your dishonest boyfriend still breathe in the life of this world! No, no you WILL do what I say; you will come to me without protest, or else I will make him suffer!"_

Elena gasped as she heard a loud, tormented groan come on the other end of the line. Tears built up in her eyes as she fought back the strained sob that was fighting to be let out.

_"That is the only deal I am offering, you blubbering trollop!" _The growl was so dark, so full of hatred that it shook Elena to her very core.

"Alright! Alright, fine I'll do as you say!" She whispered fiercely into the receiver, beginning to pull out the warmest clothes she could find. "But how am I supposed to get out of here?! I'm under some pretty damn strict surveillance here right now!"

_"Then I suggest you find a clever way to distract your personal protector, so that you may get a good head start my dear. A doctor's note, will not justify your decision or the consequences that will follow should you choose to ignore me!" _

Elena felt a sudden rush of anger mingle with her fear of his threat, and hissed out her own reply. "Fine! But you'll have to forgive me if I'm not quick enough to heed your _majesty's _request due to my drained state; you fucking lowest of cowards, you poor excuse of a vampire bastard, you son of a bitch!" Her knuckles turned white as she felt the fire flash through her body, giving her usually calm temper a chance to be free of its disciplined cage.

_"And here I thought you were a lady…" _Klaus chuckled dryly, impressed by her gutsy reaction. _"When you leave, walk away from your house as if you were going to the town square, and I will find you along the way. Remember, come alone; and when I find you, do not attempt to fight me or else I will torture Stefan for your foolhardy obstinance while you stand there and watch!"_

White with rage, Elena mumbled her agreement before hanging up on Klaus and slamming herself upon the bed. Her body was twitching with panic as she struggled to breathe, aware that Damon could burst into her room at any moment if he thought she was in any kind of distress.

_Breathe Elena…breathe! In and out; in and out; you have to do this or Stefan could die!_

Tears streamed down her face as she finally felt the oxygen penetrate her lungs; she had much to do in so little time. _Should I tell Damon?! Klaus said to come alone, but he never told me I couldn't tell someone…then again, Damon would never let me go even if I told him the truth. He'd make me stay and try to go in my place…no…I don't care how furious he will be with me, I don't have any other option at this point!_

Looking at her watch, Elena quickly concocted a plan so that she would have time to spare when she needed to sneak out of the house. She quickly opened her bedroom door and stuck her head out. "Damon! I'm going to take a nice hot bubble bath okay? I'll probably be awhile; do you mind if I leave you alone for a bit?" She yelled down the hall, making sure her voice contained a flirtatious edge to it, hoping it would eclipse any suspicions in her protector's mind.

"Of course I don't mind Elena, you'll probably feel much better afterwards. Take your time bath queen! I can use that time to plan a special dinner since we'll be alone tonight!" He called back, using his seductive voice at the last sentence to mess with her.

"Oho! Can't wait doctor!" Elena replied with a fake laugh, feeling relieved that he didn't seem to detect her lie. The nervous girl quickly ran into her bathroom and turned on the faucet, letting it run as she proceeded to run around her room and gather things she needed in order to make a subtle escape. She dressed in two layers of warm clothing, before going back into the bathroom and turning off the tub which was completely full. She grabbed her radio and turned on her music, trying to make it sound as convincing as possible. 

Florence + the Machine's "Shake it Out Began to Play," which was perfect as its loudness might convince Damon that she was having a jam out session in the tub. She began to carefully throw in certain water proof objects, trying to make it sound like she was stepping into the water and moving around, while singing with the lyrics at the same time.

She sat on the toilet and pulled on her fuzzy socks, hoping it would disguise her footsteps.

After making sure everything was where it should be, Elena glanced at her watch again; _30 minutes left…Perfect!_

She snuck across her bedroom to the window, and quietly opened it, grateful that Alaric had oiled it up a few days ago so that it didn't squeak. Elena carefully took out her old rope latter that she'd had since she was a kid, thinking of how fortunate it was that she never got rid of the useful object.

It was her safest bet of getting out undetected…at least she hoped so. The trembling girl swung her purse around her neck, and began to make her nimble escape.

Being light and skinny, made it much easier to crawl down the unstable ladder without any harm. Once her feet touched the frozen ground, Elena began to quickly walk towards the sidewalk, not daring to look at her house when she passed in front of it.

_Forgive me Damon…but this is absolutely terrible timing, and frankly, I have no choice. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Elena tried to calm her breathing as she weakly made her way towards the center of town. She refused to look over her shoulder, afraid she might find Damon following in her wake.

She tried not to feel panicked every time a car passed by, thinking it was going to be her strict vampire protector coming to drag her back to the confines and warmth of her home.

As if those very thoughts had been jinxed, the sound of wheels slowing down caught the sickly girl's ear, causing her heart to beat so furiously that her whole body was pulsating along with it.

"Well hello there darling." A british voice said, halting Elena in her tracks.

She was almost relieved to see Klaus' menacing smirk peering at her from inside the car instead of Damon…_almost_.

"Speak of the devil and he will appear."

Klaus chuckled at her cute attempt to sound nonchalant amidst that thinly veiled insult. "That only works for speech? I heard no words upon your lips as I approached you luv; you must've been thinking about me instead."

"Oh, whatever gave you that impression? You threatened to kill my boyfriend AND you just happened to demand my presence at the most inopportune time, as I am recovering from a fever and have been forbidden to leave my own home! HOW COULD I NOT BE THINKING ABOUT YOU?!" Elena raised her voice as she said this, clearly not in the mood to be messed with.

"Mind your tone luv, remember who you're talking to." Klaus responded with a warning look in his eye as he opened the door to the passenger side. "Now, why don't you just come with me like a good little girl, and we can avoid an unnecessary scene hmm?"

Elena bristled at his belittling tone, knowing that she had no choice but do what he said. "DON'T call me _good little girl_!" She snarled while getting in and slamming the door behind her.

_Oooh if looks could kill! IF ONLY!_ The infuriated girl thought to herself as she buckled herself in.

"Oh and luv," Klaus' voice interrupted her thoughts, "I can't have you knowing where we're going, lest you find a way to contact one of your little friends."

Elena ignored him as she continued to look down, scoffing at his words.

"With that being said, tell me…does this smell like chloroform to you?"

Elena's head whipped up at strange the question; "What are you-?!"

Her head was slammed against the window and her words were muffled, as a cloth was shoved in her face. She didn't even have a chance to scream or struggle as the effects of the compound took over her senses, blurring the remains of her conscious state into a deep oblivion.

Elena awoke to blackness; her sight was hindered by the blindfold that had been tied around her eyes. She was sitting in a chair, her wrists had been tied together and her legs had been bound to the chair as well.

She began to struggle vehemently, hating being in such a restricted position. "KLAUS!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, grateful that she hadn't been gagged at least. "KLAUS YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR KNOCKING ME OUT LIKE THAT YOU MONSTROUS, UNHOLY BASTARD!"

"Shhh! No need to shout luv!" His voice responded in a low hiss as he quickly ripped the blindfold off of the wriggling girl.

Elena didn't recognize where she was…but it was obvious they were in an old abandoned Victorian mansion. She saw a vintage clock in the distance, and noticed that it was 6:00.

_Oh gosh…Damon must be freaking out right now! _She thought upon realizing that she had been gone for at least two and a half hours since leaving the house.

Her gaze finally rested on the annoyed gaze of her captor, who stood in front of her with his fists clenched.

"I don't much appreciate being disturbed when I'm in the throws of a peaceful sleep Elena…"

"You say that like I'm supposed to care." Came the sarcastic reply.

Klaus' reaction wasn't expected, as his hand swiftly met Elena's cheek with a sharp slap, eliciting a piercing cry from the unsuspecting girl's lips. "I think you've been spending too much time with Damon luv. " He responded with a deadly calm demeanor, smirking as tears began to pool within his captive's eyes at that harsh _silencing_ method. "Don't give me that look Elena, I warned you about treating me with disrespect."

The trembling girl glared at him vehemently despite her situation. "Oh please Klaus…you instill fear, you EARN respect! You haven't given me any reason to be anything other than hostile towards you! So you can take your threats and shove it up your sadistic-!"

"SHUT UP!" He snapped, slapping her other cheek before she could say more.

Elena gasped at the painful feeling, biting her lip as a few of her tears slid down her cheeks. "Where is Stefan?" She asked, trying to distract herself as the sting settled into her skin.

Klaus walked over towards the couch in the middle of the room, ignoring the girl's question as he proceeded to lay back down upon it.

"Where is he Klaus?!" Elena asked again, raising her voice in exasperation.

"He's not here…he was never here. I only used him as leverage to convince you to come here."

Silence followed his statement, causing the original vampire to look at his hostage with mild surprise. "What?" He asked upon seeing her incredulous look of malice. "Did you really think I was going to torture him? He's far too valuable to me right now to be broken. You are such a naive little girl Elena. If he saw that I had kidnapped you, he would hate me even more than he already does and he'd consider me even more an enemy, which would make it harder for me to bend him to my will as a result. No…no it's best that he doesn't know of my awareness of his lies or your current state. All we be revealed when the time is right."

Elena's head slumped forward in defeat, as the exhaustion of her ill state started to really descend upon her like a heavy blanket. She felt even warmer than she had when she first woke up that morning…_not good._

"You have me right where you want me…why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me what it is you want." She said shakily, wishing her legs were free so she could kick him where it would really hurt.

Klaus stepped closer to the bound girl, forcing her to look at him as he took her face in his hand. "I want your blood…my hybrid army can never be a reality without a bit of you flowing through their veins. Since both you and Stefan made me believe you were actually dead after the actual sacrifice, think of this as an I.O.U."

"…And if I refuse?"

Klaus moved closer so that his lips where right in front of Elena's ear; "…when all of this is over, when I no longer have use for Stefan…I. Will. KILL. Him…" He whispered slowly, emphasizing the words in such way that it made the Elena shudder violently. Her breathing became heavier, as he stroked the reddened spots on her cheeks in a mocking, soothing motion. "Do we have an agreement?"

Elena nodded her head solemnly, too weak and angry to give a verbal response.

Klaus smiled at her surrendered state, enjoying the effect he had over the sickly girl. "Run out of snarky retorts for me have you luv?" He taunted, not being able to help his ego.

"No…you just aren't worth the calories I spend talking to you."

Klaus growled before kicking over the chair, bringing Elena down with it as she fell to her side. She yelped upon meeting the floor with a harsh _thud, _watching with trepidation as the offended vampire kneeled over her vulnerable being. He grabbed fistfuls of her long hair, yanking it tightly as to bring her head up merely for the sake of discomfort. Elena cried out at the burning sensation, afraid her hair was going to be yanked out of its scalp.

"I'm getting real fed up with your mouth you little tart! Perhaps, I need to teach you a lesson in manners before I drain every last drop of blood from your body!" He barked while shaking the terrified girl roughly.

"KLAUS! YOU TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HER RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO ALL THE POWERS OF THIS WORLD AND THE SUPERNATURAL THAT I WILL RIP YOUR DAMNED HEAD OFF!" A voice boomed in the large room, startling both occupants as they proceeded to look around for the source.

Elena felt a mixture of grateful relief and nervousness spread throughout her body, as Damon Salvatore made his presence known. He walked into the room, a stake in one hand and a shotgun in the other; his appearance would've made anyone think of a dark, vengeful angel on a grim mission as he sauntered closer to the duo in the middle of the room. Damon's features were alined with such a cold fury, a kind Elena had not yet seen, that it even momentarily intimidated Klaus.

"Let. her. go…" Damon snarled, his voice dripping with so much venom that it could be almost be felt.

"Well well well…Damon Salvatore." Klaus mused while gently laying Elena's head back down. "I must say, I'm both surprised and impressed that you managed to find our little hideout. Did Elena—?"

"Not that it's any concern of yours Klaus, but no. She did not tell me anything about this; I only found out about an hour ago that she was missing." Damon interrupted, pinning Elena with a stern look that said _we'll talk about this later, _causing her to feel even more volatile than she already was.

"Curious…how did you find us then, Mr. Salvatore?"

Damon scoffed at the question while stopping a few feet away from them. "You really think I'm going to tell YOU how I found you guys? You're a smart fella, figure it out yourself! Trust me, I would've been here a lot sooner if Elena had told me she was meeting you!" He held the shotgun up as he said this, causing Klaus to grit his teeth at the threatening stance.

"Put down the gun Mr. Salvatore…you know not who you are dealing with!"

Damon smirked at the proper, subtle manner Klaus was using in an attempt to sound dangerous. "Let me see, um…_posh_ Victorian Viking dude in the wrong era? _You cannot possibly fathom the immensity of the fuck I do not give!_" He retorted, perfectly imitating the original's accent.

Klaus eyes narrowed at the clever but insulting words, his lips curling up as he bared his teeth. "You cannot kill me with those pathetic weapons!"

"Maybe not," Damon shrugged, "but they sure as hell can slow you down."

Klaus jumped as a stream of wooden bullets were aimed at him. A few pierced through his skin as he attempted to outrun the dangerous pellets, causing him to trip over his own feet.

As the wounded vampire groaned and hissed on the floor, Damon quickly ran over to where Elena was and tore the ropes off of her body. "Quickly, run Elena as fast as you can and I'll catch up okay?" He commanded in a hurried tone, helping her stand on her feet.

"Damon…I'm so weak…I don't know if I can-"

"Listen to me, you HAVE to Elena, if you value your life!" Damon said fiercely while grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, hoping it would make her realize the seriousness of the situation.

Elena stared into his eyes for a moment, before nodding her head and frantically running towards the door.

Damon turned around to where Klaus had fallen, only to find that he was no longer on the floor. He barely had time to register the bloody bullets that were scattered across the wood, before a sickening crunch and a loud, agonized scream erupted at the other end of the living room.

He whirled around to see Elena sprawled on the floor, her head thrown back in agony as she clutched at her leg and continued to howl. Her leg had been broken…

"OH GOD! OH GOOOOOOOD!" She shrieked, her words a desperate prayer as she looked to the heavens in excruciating pain. "DAMON! DAMOOOOOOON! DAMON HELP MEEEEEE!"

Klaus was standing over her with a cruel, satisfied look on his face as the poor girl continued to cry out the most broken, harrowed sounds that Damon hoped he'd never have to hear again.

"I warned you Mr. Salvatore…you know not who you are dealing with." Klaus chuckled evilly, as he prepared to attack Elena again.

"DAMOOON! IT HUUUUUURTS!"

Damon's throat tightened at the sight of his loved one's suffering. He let out an angry roar as he aimed the gun at Klaus again and began to blast him with bullets. The other vampire fell to the floor again, shouting as wounds spread across his entire body. He was suddenly silenced as Damon sped to his side and thrust the stake through Klaus' heart.

Elena wailed and moaned as she watched her protector kick aside the temporarily immobile body, before he rushed to her side.

"Ahhhhhhh! Damon! Damon it hurts! Ohhhhh the pain! Oh please! Oh God help me! Please help me!" The tears were like waterfalls on the tormented girl's face; her mouth was open in anguished horror, her eyes closed in absolute misery as endless tremors of pain ravished her body.

"Elena, I'm here! I'm here! Oh god…I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry! Shhhhh…" He knelt by her side and held her hand as she continued to writhe, trying to offer her some comfort as he inspected her leg. Her fibula and tibia were completely shattered, causing him to feel sick that anyone could be so cruel to inflict such pain on a girl as vulnerable as her.

"Oh it hurts Damon! It huuuuuurts! I can't I can't I can't!"

Damon felt tears clouding his own eyes at her distress; he hated seeing her in pain like this. "I know sweetheart, I know." He soothed while stroking her sweating brow; "I'm going to make the pain go away, alright?"

He quickly rolled up his sleeves and bit into his arm; he held it up to Elena, encouraging her to drink from his blood.

The abused girl looked at Damon amidst her cries, still unsure if that was the best action to take as she did not want to risk there being a possibility of her dying and becoming a vampire.

"Elena," Damon began in a no-nonsense tone at seeing her hesitation, "unless you want to go through more pain of being taken to the hospital, staying there for the next few weeks, and spend the rest of your school year with physical therapy and healing from this horrible break, I strongly suggest you drink up right now! My blood will heal you, and you won't have to suffer anymore. You have to trust me Elena…please!"

It didn't take much more convincing for Elena to obey, and she quickly clutched onto Damon's arm and sucked desperately from his arm. The white-hot feeling was becoming too much…she was about to ask him to knock her out so she wouldn't have to feel it anymore.

After drinking her fill, the exhausted girl fell back on the floor, coughing at the foul taste as she tried to hold the blood down.

Damon held her in his arms as the pain began to subside; it took a bit longer than usual since that injury was a particularly nasty, traumatic one.

Elena's sobs died down after the first minute; by the time her leg had finally finished healing, she had been reduced to hiccuping whimpers, as her body was drained from both the lingering sickness and the excruciating pain she had just endured. She was already mentally scarred and overwhelmed from the whole ordeal, leaving her in a weakened, broken state.

Damon quickly gathered her up in his arms, and sped out of the mansion as fast as he could before Klaus could come back from the dead and try to hurt them again. Elena's hands griped at her savior's leather jacket as they blurred through the forest, grateful that she was with him again.

Five minutes had barely passed before Elena found herself back in her room, being lowered onto the bed. Damon refused to let her go, relieved that he could be a source of comfort and healing. He rocked her back and forth as she continued to cry, repeatedly kissing her temple and smoothing back her hair.

"You're alright…you're alright beautiful. You're safe now…shhhh…my sweet Elena…shhh…" Whispering sweet nothings seemed to be the only thing he could think of doing at that moment.

She buried her face in his chest, feeling as if her body was going to rip apart from the amount emotional overload as the gasping sobs continued to erupt from her being. Elena didn't know why she couldn't stop crying…

The more she thought about her reasons for not being able to stop, the more panicky she began to feel, and she soon began to gasp for breath. "Damon! Damon help I can't-I can't- b-breathe!"

Damon quickly sat up and placed the alarmed girl in his lap, pressing her back against him as he took her hand in his. "Elena, Elena it's alright darling. Feel me breathe…do you feel that?" He asked while moving his diaphragm so that she could feel it too, and softly rubbing her stomach with the other hand, trying to help her mind register that it was easy. "In and out; in and out sweetie. Breathe with me…yes, that's it! Feel the oxygen flow through your lungs…your airwaves are being filled with the sweet breath of life. You are not being crushed, you are weightless. You're alright Elena, you can breathe…you are going to be just fine."

The combination of his words and physical movement finally registered with Elena, calming her senses and allowing her to inhale long, deep breaths which caused her to feel even more tired and dizzy.

Her eyes closed as she was able to quiet her breathing, the trauma of the last few hours' events eclipsing her mind and body as she leaned against Damon's shoulder.

The vampire sighed with reprieve, resting his chin upon Elena's head before laying down with her again.

_What am I going to do with her? _ He thought to himself, feeling horrible that she had to be subjected to such horrible treatment, but still feeling incensed that she hadn't said anything to him about Klaus' plans to kidnap her.

_She could've avoided all of this if she had just told me she was in trouble. I would've helped her find a solution. _Damon continued to think as his arms tightened protectively around Elena's tiny frame. _I need to give her a chance to explain what happened. I need to let her recover from this traumatic ordeal before doing anything else. My poor Elena…why must you be a magnet for trouble?_

Elena moaned in her drowsy state; "Shhhhhh" Damon soothed, moving a strand of hair back from her face before kissing her cheek, deciding that he was never going to let her out of his sight again.

"I'm so…so sorry…" Came her soft whisper as she entwined her fingers with Damon's.

"I know you are." He replied while grabbing a blanket and throwing it over the two of them. "Don't worry about anything right now sweetheart…just rest. Just go to sleep; I'll be right here with you. We can talk about everything later."

Elena nodded her head, tucking herself deeper into his embrace "Thank you…" She murmured sleepily, pressing her own soft kiss of gratitude against Damon's hands.

He smiled at the touch of her lips, wishing that he could freeze that moment forever.

"Please…sing to me Damon." Elena pleaded, almost sounding like a little child as she tried to ignore the mental flashbacks of the pain she had endured a short while ago.

Wanting nothing more than to ease any of her remaining sorrows, Damon opened his mouth and began to sing a beautiful lullaby. He had heard it on the radio one time, and thought it was wonderful. Even if he wasn't a religious being, he still couldn't deny the absolute anointing those Biblical-inspired lyrics possessed; a perfect remedy for the wearied, troubled soul.

_"Be still and know that I'm with you_

_ Be still and know that I am here_

_ Be still and know that I'm with you_

_ Be still, be still, and know_

_When darkness comes upon you_

_And covers you with fear and shame_

_Be still and know that I'm with you_

_And I will say your name_

_If terror falls upon your bed_

_And sleep no longer comes_

_Remember all the words I said_

_Be still, be still, and know_

_And when you go through the valley_

_And the shadow comes down from the hill_

_If morning never comes to be_

_Be still, be still, be still_

_If you forget the way to go_

_And lose where you came from_

_If no one is standing beside you_

_Be still and know I am_

_Be still and know that I'm with you_

_Be still and know I am." _


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update my darlings! With the Holidays being as busy as they've been, I barely had time to do much. I hope this chapter brings you satisfaction! There will be one last chapter after this soon, I promise 3**

**Chapter 4:**

A clap of thunder roused Damon from his slumber, as a heavy torrent of rain began to pour outside. He blinked a few times, trying to remember where he was and all that had transpired in the last couple of hours.

It was the empty space beside him that immediately erased any traces of remaining sleep from Damon's eyes. _Where is Elena?! _

He sat up, trying not to feel worried as the last time he had discovered her absence resulted in finding her with Klaus.

Damon jumped out of the bed and made way for the stairs, noticing with some mild surprise that it was 8 in the morning. _We slept through the entire night?_

"Elena?!" He called out as he came down into the living room.

"I'm in here Damon…" came a meek voice from the kitchen.

Sighing with relief, the vampire walked in to see Elena standing by the sink, a cup of coffee in her hands.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" He asked, walking up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders in a concerned gesture, still reeling from the traumatic events that had transpired the night before.

"I…I'm fine." Elena turned to face Damon, her chocolate eyes filled with lingering weariness. "The fever broke, although I'm still feeling a bit weak…I guess sleeping for nearly 13 hours was what my body needed."

"Well that's good news. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time you're sick." Elena nodded while smiling tiredly, wishing with all her might that she could rewind time and start the weekend over.

"And what of your leg?" Damon queried while moving over to the fridge and grabbing an overnight blood bag he had brought for himself.

"It's perfectly fine Damon, thank you so much for healing it." Elena smiled in gratitude, although she still winced at the memory of the terrible pain she had endured, even though it was brief.

Damon didn't respond to her words as he quietly sipped from the bag, knowing that they would have to commence in the unpleasant conversation that was soon to follow.

As if being able to read his thoughts, Elena tried to subtly change the subject, even though her voice gave away the obvious nervousness she was feeling. "S-so…um…do you think we could go for a drive today and maybe…I don't know…go to the park or see a movie or something?"

"Elena…" Damon murmured with a sigh, knowing what she was trying to do.

She turned away to try and hide the guilt she felt. "I mean, since I'm feeling better, I should probably get some fresh air and let my body continue to recover, don't you agree?"

"Elena."

"Maybe we could meet up with Caroline and Bonnie, invite Alaric, you know?"

"We need to talk-"

"Speaking of Alaric, where is he this morning? It's a Saturday and he should be sleeping in."

"He's at the school, finishing up with some papers he had to grade. Elena-"

"OH! Well then maybe we can meet up with him later or something! Oooh Damon, we should go and see Thor: The Dark World!" Elena continued to ignore Damon's attempt at getting her to talk about the Klaus situation, her voice growing more and more frantic as she tried to eclipse his words with her own. It was making her vampire guest rather frustrated, causing him to growl.

"I'll go call Bonnie and Caroline-"

"ELENA!" Damon barked sternly at last, the soft method obviously not working.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, immediately shutting her mouth as she didn't want to toy with his temper any further.

"Elena…turn around and look at me please." His voice a command which brooked no denial.

Breathing heavily, the weary girl slowly turned around and tried to retain what little bravery she had left by meeting Damon's eyes with her own, stubborn ones.

"You know we need to talk about what happened last night."

Elena rolled her eyes at his admonishing tone, hating that she was already feeling like a naughty child.

Damon's eyes narrowed at her reaction, refusing to let her have the pleasure of having an attitude with him. "Do NOT roll your eyes at me, I am very upset with you! I most definitely am not in the wrong for wanting to know why in the hell you would put your life in danger AGAIN, especially after our conversation and agreement yesterday. I want to hear your side of the story; I want to know why on earth you decided to not tell me about Klaus, and why you lied to me and tricked me so that you could make your escape."

Elena bit her lip at the reprimand, trying to hide the embarrassed blush that spread across her face at his words. She huffed and made her way into the living room, stopping in the middle of the floor to cross her arms and wait for Damon to follow her. He did so, and sat upon the sofa, looking at the fidgeting girl expectantly as she inhaled before starting her story.

Elena was completely honest and told Damon everything in detail, her voice wavering at times when she described Klaus' threats and the unfairness of the whole timing of the situation.

"I was terrified Damon! I mean, here I am having a nice day with you despite my sickness, and of all times for the bastard to call, he had to do it when I was sick and under strict surveillance!"

The older Salvatore brother tried not chuckle at her words, feeling even more incensed that Elena didn't even try to tell him about the difficult position she had been in.

"I didn't know what to do! I was so overwhelmed with fear for Stefan's life and anger at Klaus for making me leave, that I just shut down and followed his demands."

"You could've come and told me, Elena." Damon stated quietly.

"Oh DON'T even give me that!" She retorted while jabbing her finger in his direction, "There was no way I could've gotten out of that situation Damon! He threatened to torture and kill Stefan! How the hell could I choose between telling you and risking Stefan's life?!"

Damon's eyebrows rose warningly at her tone; "Elena, Klaus said that he would hurt Stefan if you had someone follow you! He never said you couldn't tell anyone!"

_Shit…he had to realize that! _Elena ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly struggling to find words to say. "I…Damon…I couldn't…I couldn't risk it! You wouldn't have let me go even if I begged you!" Her lip quivered as she shouted this, hoping he would accept it as a valid excuse.

Damon shook his head firmly, while standing up and walking towards her. "That is not true, and you know it! Contrary to popular belief, I am not that much of an ass that I would just stand by and let my little brother get killed! If you had come to me and explained to me everything Klaus had said to you, we would have devised a plan. This case would've been an exception Elena, no matter how much I would've hated it! There is always a loophole when it comes to these guys, you should know that from all you've experienced with us! Did you really doubt that I was going to do all in my power to help Stefan? Did you?" He sounded hurt now as he ended this sentence.

Elena shook her head while putting her face in her hands. "I don't know Damon…all I could think about was _not Stefan! Don't kill my Stefan!_ That's all that was going through my head! I mean can you blame me, Damon? Can you really stand there and be angry at me for freaking out and having a moment of weakness because I was terrified for someone's life?!" Her nostrils flared as she spewed these words.

Damon softened a bit at her words, although he refused to be made the victim of her foolish behavior. "Elena…can you look me in the eye and tell me that you honestly didn't stop and think before you acted? Can you tell me that we didn't already discuss this _over and over_ again in case a situation like this ever arose?! Can you tell me with assurance of a time, since I turned my humanity back on, where I ever said that I would allow my loved ones to perish at your expense? Hmmm? Can you?"

Elena turned pale and backed against the wall at his enraged question. She knew he was right…loathe as she was to admit it…she couldn't lie to him. "No…" She muttered quietly at last.

"No what?" Damon prompted.

"No…I…you've never risked Stefan's life at my expense…even if you made it look like you did, you never would let him die."

"_And_?"

"And…yes…we did discuss this situation in detail…I knew I could've come and talked to you about it. I knew there would have been a loophole…Klaus wasn't going to really kill Stefan, he sees him as too valuable to dispose of him."

"AND?"

Elena looked down while hugging herself; "And yes…I did stop and think about what choice I was going to make. I did consider what would happen if I put my own life in danger. I was aware that…I was going against your wishes to recover from my sickness as well."

There was a tense silence for a moment after her confession. "You see?" Damon asked gently while taking Elena's chin in his hand, and tilting her face up to meet his gaze. "You're smart Elena…you didn't do all of this in blind confusion. I understand the fear you felt, I really do…but you could've come to me and talked with me. Like I said before, we would've devised a plan, even if it meant using you as bait, I would've allowed it for this particular instance. Since Klaus wasn't planning on hurting you as long as you cooperated, it would've been relatively easy to have you go before me, and then I would've come later and rescued you."

"But that's exactly what you did…so how is your method any different?" Elena asked, her eyes flashing at his explanation.

"The difference is that you made yourself sicker with worry because you took it all alone. You had to lie to me in order to sneak out of the house, which I know didn't help your condition mentally or physically. And you climbed out of a friggin window Elena? Really?! You could've fallen and hurt yourself simply from doing that because of your weak state from having a fever!"

Elena opened her mouth to protest, but Damon held up his hand. "Don't!" He growled; "And then, you walked outside in this cold fall weather for Lord knows how long, while still recovering from said fever; then you spent _almost_ 3 hours in mild bondage, before I finally was able to find and rescue you!"

Elena covered her ears before pushing past Damon and plopping down on the couch. He crossed his arms and regarded her with a quiet authority, unhappy that she was still missing the point. "The difference, Elena, is that you could have spared A LOT of that time being uncomfortable, and making yourself more sick and vulnerable, if you had just immediately come and_ told me about Klaus calling you._ But no…you had to go off and play hero again. I didn't even know you were gone until an hour after you left! When your music stopped playing and it was quiet, and you didn't answer me when I came to check on you, THAT'S when I realized you were gone and something was amiss! I tried looking for you on my own, but Klaus is very good at disguising his tracks; so, in my desperation, I went to Bonnie. It took forever to track her down, and when I finally did, she had to perform a tracking spell so we could find you! When I finally was on my way to rescue you, I was terrified that you were being tortured or possibly even _dead _Elena! We lied about your death to Klaus after all before, so what was to stop him from trying to kill you again?!"

Elena sunk into the couch as the weight of Damon's worry and her actions became more and more of a realization.

Damon clenched his fists, trying to calm himself down as he continued to rant. "And then, as if all of that wasn't bad enough, I hear you antagonizing Klaus when I finally arrived, resulting in him physically harming you, and worsening your already weakened and vulnerable condition! So, let's recount here: not only did you lie to me, disobey me and Alaric to stay home until you got better, made yourself even more sick by taking this entire burden upon yourself, but you also played with fire and fanned the flames, even though you _knew_ it was asking for trouble! Even though you knew Klaus was unpredictable! EVEN THOUGH YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ELENA!" He hissed out those last words with such a mixture of vehemence and distress, that it made Elena tremble where she sat.

Damon glared at her for a couple of minutes following his angry statement, the silence a tense barrier between them. He finally turned away, walking over to the wall and laying his head against it while constantly clenching and unclenching his fists.

Elena was too scared to move…she didn't know at this point, what Damon was going to do. Oh, she could guess very well what he wanted to do…and she knew she had earned it…but she also knew that he was never one to allow his anger to turn into dangerous violence whenever they fought. She hadn't seen him this furious in a long time…not since she had tried to seek out Elijah to offer herself as a sacrifice.

Funny how she had been in a very similar predicament that night before…the difference was that Klaus sought her out, and she had to choose whether or not to submit to his demands. In a way, doing the latter was pretty much equal to that time with Elijah…she hadn't told Damon or anyone at that time either. She could see why he was so upset; even though she really had tried to abstain from putting herself in danger while protecting her loved ones at the same time, it was nonetheless becoming a cycle which increased the threat of her survival.

"Elena…" Damon's voice interrupted her thoughts, "I…I don't know how else I can stress your importance to me and everyone else in Mystic Falls. I know you could care less whether I love you or not, but that fact still remains…and you have your little brother to think about. How do you think it would've affected him if you had died? Hmm? He wouldn't have any blood relatives left after that…yes, he'd have Ric, but it wouldn't be the same. And how do you think it would've affected the rest of us? We, your friends, your extended family, who have literally fought to keep you safe? Did you ever stop and think that your attempts to be selfless, by trying to save Stefan, would actually be more of a selfish act if you had died?"

Elena bristled at this comment. "Damon, I _never_ asked any of you to fight for me! And how can you judge me when you guys are always risking your lives trying to protect me?! Seems pretty hypocritical that it can only be a one way direction!"

Damon whirled around as she said this and stalked towards her, his eyes on fire at her insolence. "ELENA! How many times must we go through this?! _You. are. a. mortal!_ Caroline is not! Bonnie is not! Me and Stefan are not! Tyler is not! Ric can cheat death better than both you and Jeremy combined, even though you guys have rings! And Jeremy isn't even a target right now, YOU ARE! He only becomes a target if someone is trying to get to you, which is why we try to keep you out of harm's way Elena! I know you didn't ask any of us to fight for you, but tough luck! We don't care, and you can't expect us not to defend you when you're in harm's way! We stand by those we love, and will fight to the death for them! And while we appreciate your concern for us, Stefan and I have lived a long, mostly miserable life, and would gladly sacrifice our lives for you Elena, that is how important you are to us! That is how much we love you! We should have died a long time ago…we should never have become vampires, but we did, and all we can do is move forward. You still have an entire lifetime to live, and are responsible for the little family you have left! And whether you want to believe it or not, no matter how good your intentions were, giving yourself over to the enemy does not make anything easier! We are strongest as a team, Elena, and we lose that strength when you go on these solo suicide missions! You can't be everyone's savior….you have to think more rationally than that."

Elena cowered under his towering stance, trying to swallow the choking sensation she was feeling from the emotions that were rising within her. "It's not fair…Damon it's not fair!

"DON'T SPEAK TO ME ABOUT FAIR!" Damon roared, squeezing his eyes shut at her choked up voice, trying not to let her emotions manipulate him. "Elena…trust me…I know it's not fair. Stefan and I have lived _it's not fair_ our whole damn lives! You have had to live it out with the loss of your family…and it sucks. It's horrible! But life isn't fair…sometimes we don't have a choice to deal with life's unfairness. Sometimes we have to choose the unfair advantage that will benefit us, even if there's pain and sacrifice involved. But then there's also the unfairness that comes with the wrong choices we make, _Elena_…that's when life becomes even more difficult; when we make decisions that turn out to be foolish ones." He opened his eyes again, pinning Elena with his intense gaze.

"When that choice you make, becomes the very reason that your family died for…to keep you and your brother safe and alive."

Elena felt a stubborn anger overwhelm her, as she realized with irritation that she was being humbled the more Damon talked. Every argument she had offered as a rebuttal had been shot down by his wise, honest responses, and it was clouding her mind with overwhelming mental conflict.

She knew if she gave in to her emotions, she was going to be a wreck, and she really did not want to be vulnerable at that moment.

"Enlightening…Damon. Are you done being on your soapbox now?" Elena asked coldly, her voice and face completely devoid of life. It was as if she had let herself be turned into stone…

Damon was incredulous at her response, and could only stare at Elena in disbelief. _Does she really think she's going to get out of this by acting like that?!_

"Oh yes, Elena I am WAY past finished with being on my _soapbox_." He growled as he began to walk towards her.

Trying to hide her fear, Elena quickly stood up, maintaining the cold expression on her face. "Good. Because I'm done listening." She turned to walk away, intent on going back upstairs and burrowing herself beneath the covers for the rest of the day.

But Damon was having none of it…he was at his wit's end.

"FREEZE." He commanded austerely, his voice portraying an alarming amount of authority which actually seemed to stop Elena in her tacks.

"Don't. take. another. step."

Her back arched from the intense shutter that ripped through her body at his low, menacing tone. Damon wasn't moving, but she was not looking forward to hearing what he was going to say, as she guessed it was going to lead to a rather painful event.

"Elena, we are far from finished here. Now please, do not make this any more difficult than it has to be."

The next few seconds were a blur, as Elena decided that it would be better to calmly flip her protector the "bird," and proceed up her stairs with a non-repentant, nonchalant demeanor.

It was a stupid mistake…

The next thing she knew, Damon was in front of her…his eyes like blue fire as she stared challengingly into them. Before she could even blink, they were back at the couch, and regret instantly filled her body as she found herself bent over Damon's strong lap.

She began to squirm violently as she realized history was about to repeat itself, causing Damon to silently pin her arms to her back as he proceeded to tug down her jeans.

"NO! DAMON DON'T YOU DARE!" She shrieked while turning red, hating the fact that he was seeing her more exposed than he ever had.

"No Elena!" He snapped as he succeeded in maneuvering her so that she was perfectly secured and angled over his lap. "I warned you what would happen the next time you put yourself in danger. You did that and then some, and now we can add your blatant _brattitude _to the list of stupid, reckless, and disrespectful things you've done in the last few days! There were many other times I could have spanked you since that incident with Elijah…in fact, I SHOULD have! But I was nice Elena, I tried to be merciful and merely continue to warn you so we wouldn't have to be in this position again. You are WAY over due little girl." Damon scolded.

Elena whimpered as she felt his hand tap her rear end warningly, before resting it on her pale flesh. "If I were you, I wouldn't fight me right now young lady. You'll only make it worse on yourself!"

Without further warning, Damon brought down his hand upon the doomed girl's bottom, causing a stinging slap mixed with a shriek to fill the room.

"Remember what we talked about, Elena. I will only stop this punishment if you can honestly tell me that you don't deserve it, or if you vehemently decide that this isn't the type of relationship you want to have with me. If it isn't, then I'll never resort to this method again…it's your decision."

Elena bit her lip at his words…one would think she'd immediately jump at the opportunity of escaping punishment at Damon's hand. But after the first time it had happened, and after she had spoken with her mother in her dream, and after realizing that this kind of discipline allowed her all sorts of detox amidst the pain and penance, she honestly did not want to risk losing the need to be held responsible for her actions. True, she hated it! It was going to hurt and she was going to cry and protest and maybe even insult and threaten Damon as he brought discomfort to her behind…and yet…when it was all finished, she knew she would feel liberated, and Damon would hold her and comfort her.

_Ironic how this punishment, this method that many people call abuse, is actually pretty…therapeutic. _

To her, it wasn't abuse…not the way Damon did it. He still challenged her, forced her to submit to his methods of justice, and told her things that were true even though she didn't want to hear.

But she had agreed to it…begrudgingly.

Elena never really tried to stop him…not hard enough. She begged him to stop before, but never actually resorted to going to Liz and reporting Damon, or looking him square in the eye and demanding that he never touch her in that way again.

It was consensual…

She was free to stop it at any time, and would never have to worry about being in that situation again.

But she couldn't…she wouldn't…deep down, she didn't want to. Damon was right; how was she really going to learn from her mistakes, if someone didn't intervene on her behalf concerning this seemingly endless cycle of destruction and recklessness?

Surrendering in defeat, Elena merely lowered her face onto the couch and laid there with her bottom in the air, refusing to fight anymore. Her silence spoke volumes, putting rest to Damon's fears of whether or not this was the best route to take.

He rubbed her back soothingly, hating what was about to happen but sincerely appreciating her trust in him. "I love you Elena…remember that. I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt or killed, especially since it would kill the rest of us along with you. You are important to us…to ME. I really, really do not want to do this…but you've proven far too many times that your stubbornness knows no bounds, and this seems to be the only way to get you to see reason. I'd rather you find yourself over my knee everyday, than risk having you killed. These marks will not last, they will heal, and be bearable even a few minutes after it is over with…whereas there is no remedy for death."

Elena nodded numbly, yelping again as Damon's hand met her backside again with vigorous force. 

Again and again, Damon's hand slapped against the poor girl's bottom, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and attempt to bear the pain through clenched teeth. She had already lost count of the swats that continued to rain down upon her, and grabbed one of the couch pillows so she could burry her face in it.

SMACK!

_"OWCH!"_

_SMACK!_

"MMMMMM!"

_SMACK! SMACK!_

"OH PLEASE!"

_SMACK! SMACK!_

"STOP!"

_SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!_

"OOOHHH IT HURTS!"

_SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!_

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I'm really going to have to drive this point home today, because I don't EVER want to do this again if I can help it." Damon punctuated the end of this sentence with another loud slap, causing Elena's legs to flail pathetically.

He could tell she was fighting hard against him and her own self to not appear weak during her punishment. He knew she was feeling a combination of guilt and absolute frustration about what happened, resulting in the build up of that "unworthy" feeling.

Damon increased the speed and intensity of the smacks, encouraging Elena's voice to raise in decibels as she spewed out a stream profanities towards him.

"I hate you Damon! I fucking hate you! You damn bastard!"

"No you don't…" He murmured while rolling his eyes, rewarding her efforts with even harder swats.

Elena wasn't ready to completely give in to her situation yet…she felt a renewed sense of indignance surge through her body, causing her to put every source of mental and physical strength into fighting Damon's hand.

Noting sadly that they were probably going to be there even longer than he had hoped, Damon wrapped his other arm around her waist, holding her close as he continued to chastise her.

Elena howled as the swats increased in tempo. She began to fight him even harder now, using every ounce of strength she could muster.

"ELENA!"

_SMACK! _

_"_Stop."

_SMACK! _

_"_Fighting."

_SMACK! _

"Me!"

Damon scolded, punctuating each word with a hard swat to Elena's reddening bottom, causing the feisty girl to shriek and curse even more.

"GET OFF ME!"

The defiant girl's struggling became so vehement that she managed to surprise both herself and Damon by sinking her teeth deep into his leg, giving her the chance to actually roll off his lap as soon as he yelped from the contact. Her eyes were so dark with fury and hatred, her teeth bared dramatically as if she were about to fight in a war.

Elena growled out a wordless exclamation before vigorously slapping Damon across the face. While he was stunned, she quickly pulled up her pants, then followed the assault by shoving her foot hard against his chest, causing both him and the couch to topple backwards.

The adrenaline coursed through her veins at his pain-filled yell, as she quickly made a mad dash for the stairs.

In her blindness from the whole extreme situation, she grabbed one of the wooden stakes that had been left over from when Damon had rescued her the night before.

"ELENA GILBERT GET YOUR SORRY ASS BACK DOWN HERE NOW!" She heard him roar as she made it to the top of the stairs.

"BITE ME YOU SMARMY ASS!" She shouted back down to him as she ran to her room.

She shrieked when he was suddenly blocking her path from the door. Before she could even stop to think about her actions, she angrily stabbed Damon with the stake, causing his eyes to widen in shock, surprise, and pain as he groaned loudly and fell to the ground.

"TAKE IT! TAKE IT!" Elena snarled as he sunk to the floor, her hand still on the stake as she slowly pushed it further inside of him, causing him to let out a guttural scream.

"ELENA STOP! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

She didn't answer, but merely stepped over him and went into her room, slamming the door and locking it behind her.

Elena slowly stepped back, her world a spinning mass of color, her ears filled with a loud, rushing sound which caused her to feel even more dizzy.

Her breathing was heavy and frantic as her heart fought to calm itself down. She fell back onto her bed, the adrenaline finally leaving her body as the realization of what she had just done settled over her like a crushing weight.

_It's official…I've lost it…I have gone completely off the deep end…_Elena thought with absolute horror and despair as she collapsed on top of the bed. She knew that was the dumbest thing she could have done to Damon, especially after she had agreed to letting him punish her.

It was only a matter of time before he would heal from his wounds and come bursting through that door to finish what he had started.

_I only hope he'll at least let me apologize before he continues to punish me…_the broken, humbled girl thoughts as she curled up into a miserable ball and wept. She was tired from the exhausting past couple of days and very eager to turn over a new leaf.

_I will try with all I have, to be less of a nuisance after this…I know it hurts Damon to see me in any kind of pain…but he also knows what I'll respond to better than anyone else. God what a brat I've been!_

With every passing moment, Elena's anticipation grew more nerve-wracking as the door remained closed.

She was almost relieved when she finally saw the door knob being tampered with, and finally open with surprising gentility, as a very solemn Damon greeted her in the entrance. She could tell that it had taken him some time to calm himself down after she had stabbed him, and used that opportunity to speak before he could do anything else.

"I-I'm so…so sorry Damon. I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't control it…I'm just so sorry…I was wrong." Elena apologized with humility while meekly standing to her feet and shuffling over to Damon's side, her eyes downcast.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she stopped in front of him, ashamed and embarrassed at her actions towards him.

Elena rested her head bravely against Damon's chest, hoping he'd let her stay there for just a little bit before finishing her chastisement.

"Please…forgive me…"

There was a stunned silence at these words, before the mewling girl felt Damon place a soft kiss upon her head. "Oh Elena…" he murmured while wrapping his arms around her. "I do forgive you sweetheart…and thank you for your apology."

The weak girl clung onto him as he held her, feeling renewed at his kind words, and ready to face whatever else he had an store for her.

After a few minutes, Damon gently pushed Elena away from his grasp and lead her over to the bed. He sat down wordlessly, not even having to look at her before she obediently took off her jeans and laid herself across his lap again.

The vampire secured her, hesitating at the fact that he would have to finish her spanking with an even more severe edge after her violent display towards him. "Elena…" He said lowly as he gently rubbed circles on her lower back, "Don't you EVER do that to me again…do you understand?"

The shaking girl nodded slowly, before burying her face into the bed, readying herself for the first blow.

She gasped when she felt Damon pull down her panties, this being the first time she had ever been so exposed to him in all the time they knew each other.

"Oh god Damon, no please-!"

"Elena!" He interrupted, effectively silencing the whimpering girl, "I warned you what would happen if you ever put yourself in danger again the last time you were in this position. I think it's safe to say that your little stunt downstairs and outside of your room, has more than added on to deserving this stage of your punishment. I am proud of you for apologizing and submitting yourself, but you still must answer for your actions, and realize that this sort of behavior is unacceptable!"

Elena blushed at his belittling tone, feeling like she was a little child once more.

Damon reached behind him and grabbed the same brush he had used on Elena the last time she was getting spanked. He rested it upon her pink cheeks, causing a shudder to ripple through her body as she groaned in distress.

"Nooo Damon…"

"Elena…remember what I said before…you can get up and leave now if you honestly don't think you deserve this, or if you think I'm passing boundaries in our friendship. I'm only asking you a second time today, because you have had an extremely emotional, rough past few days, and I do not want you to feel like I am abusing you. Do not expect me to be so lenient the next time we have to do this, IF there is a next time, young lady. Normally, once we come to an agreement, we stick to it until it is carried out and done with. But I'm giving you another chance to make a choice…let me remind you again, that if you choose to leave, I will never again hold this particular position of authority over you, as we cannot constantly go back and forth Elena. It is too taxing…"

Elena nodded her head at his words, grateful that he was trying to be sensitive to her needs and be as merciful as he could under the circumstances. Oh how she wish she didn't have to get spanked anymore…and yet…she knew that deep down she'd regret it if she chose to end it.

"Do what you have to do…" She whispered numbly, mentally kicking herself for giving Damon continued permission to carry out her consequences.

The vampire nodded his head gravely at her words, while tapping her bottom a few times with the implement in his hand, preparing her for the second round. "Very well then."


End file.
